Public-sector union doubts safety of going back to office

The union representing tens of thousands of public servants says it’s skeptical whether it will be safe for members to return to work after Thanksgiving as planned.

Paul Finch, treasurer of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union, said the union has already publicly challenged the province on a Sept. 7 return-to-work plan and won, and will continue to monitor COVID-19 numbers to determine if the Oct. 12 return date is safe for workers.

“I think we’re very skeptical of that in terms of this latest Delta variant wave as to whether it will be appropriate for our members to fully return back to the office, but it’s obviously early days,” Finch said.

“If we feel that that that date [of Oct. 12] is premature and basically that employees are being required to come back before it’s safe to do, we’ll speak up and take on the employer.”

There are about 35,000 government employees in B.C., of whom about 13,000 work in the capital region.

The province said it couldn’t say how many are working from home — that is tracked on a ministry and department level — but it has long supported mobile work arrangements, which expanded significantly during the pandemic.

Last week, the B.C. Public Service Agency told employees they can work from home until at least Oct. 12. It said it would release a more detailed backto-work plan closer to that date, with direction from the provincial health officer.

The BCGEU represents about 30,000 government workers, from administrative assistants in Health Ministry offices on Blanshard Street in Victoria to forest firefighters battling blazes in the Interior.

The union said many publicfacing workers “have had to work every single day of this pandemic at their worksite or in their office” while others switched to home offices.

The BCGEU fought last year for mandatory masks in the workplace, and lobbied again this year to bring back the mask mandate after it was reduced to a recommendation as part of phase three of the province’s restart plan.

Some government offices are open-concept or small and less conducive to distancing, said Finch. In addition, some employees have chosen not to be vaccinated, while others can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons. Many are double vaccinated but may be immune-compromised or live with an immune-compromised person, and are less willing to return to the office until case numbers drop dramatically.

“We’ve been trying to educate our membership about the importance of taking a vaccine,” said Finch.

“We know there’s a small number of cases where people are medically unable to get vaccinated, and obviously in those cases we’re making accommodation for our members.”

This week, Lori Wanamaker, head of the public service in the office of the premier, assured employees who can’t work from home for operational reasons that it’s safe to remain in their workplaces, where infectioncontrol practices are in place.

B.C. Public Service workplaces have maintained physical barriers during step three of the reopening, as recommended by the provincial health officer. And workplace communicable disease plans were updated to include the Aug. 24 order requiring masks to be worn in indoor public spaces.

Bruce Williams, CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce, said the economic downturn of 2007-2008 had a greater impact on downtown than public employees working from home during the pandemic.

But Williams renewed his appeal to those working from home to continue to support downtown shops and restaurants — “go back and see them, go see how they’re doing, tell them you’re thinking about them.”

Williams said dropping in for a meal or a coffee or to shop can help those businesses economically and provide a mentalhealth boost to those working from home.

Mike Gonzalez owns the Old Spaghetti Factory, a block from the legislature. He said the restaurant has benefited from the summer tourist season and will feel the impact of fewer government workers in the core in the fall, although the current labour shortage is a bigger problem for many businesses.

Jeff Bray, executive director of the Downtown Victoria Business Association, said “it’s been a really good summer” for businesses and commercial areas downtown given the reduction in COVID restrictions as part of the third phase of the province’s restart.

Bray said businesses that rely on local lunch crowds are seeing some private-sector employees return already and are eager to see public-sector employees return “hopefully after Thanksgiving,” but only “when it’s safe to do so.”