Is remote work a perk or a right? Depends who you ask

It's not surprising that working from home has become a major issue in the Treasury Board of Canada's negotiations with over 100,000 striking federal workers.

What's less obvious, however, is how a potential contract granting Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members the right to work from home if they wanted to might reshape offices across the country.

That's because the union is fighting for a perk not everyone can enjoy, observers say.

"What about those people who don't have the luxury to even work one day a week from home? What about teachers? What about nurses? What about doctors?" said Linda Duxbury, a professor in management and strategy at Carleton University's Sprott School of Business.

"There's a whole range of professions [for whom] this discussion is meaningless."

Private sector employers with staff hoping to work remotely are watching alongside other federal bargaining units to see how the final deal between the Treasury Board and PSAC shakes out.

"Nobody wants to see the Treasury Board cave to PSAC's demand to enshrine work-from-home in the collective agreement," said Patrick Groom, a lawyer who represents a mix of private and public sector employers. 

Once something goes in a contract, "it becomes extremely hard to negotiate out," he said. 

It's unclear how many people on the picket lines have been working from home, the office or a mix of the two.

CBC has asked the union for those figures. 

But Duxbury said less than 40 per cent of Canada's college- or university-educated workforce is working remotely.

By making work-from-home a top strike issue — alongside wage increases, contracting and seniority during layoffs — PSAC risks alienating some members and faces an uphill climb gaining the wider public's sympathy, Duxbury said. 

"Are they using it as a way to get bargaining on other things that they really care about?" she said. "Or have they got a little bit of tunnel vision on the remote work piece, and they're not really realizing that the majority of Canadians can't do it?"

Only a third of 120,000 striking PSAC members cast votes calling for a work stoppage, Duxbury added.