Bank of Canada locks out 60 security officers
Labour dispute begins June 23 over scheduling changes and parental leave cuts affecting mostly Ottawa-based PSAC members.
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The Bank of Canada locked out around 60 security officers on June 23, mostly based in Ottawa, after contract talks stalled over scheduling and benefits.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) say the Bank is pushing for concessions including cuts to parental leave and "post" language changes that would allow shift changes on short notice.
Patrick Tessier, the local vice-president and bargaining committee member, said the scheduling proposal is the core issue. "We don't have the flexibility to work from home, so we have to work here every day, which is fine, but the stability of knowing when we work allows us to arrange our home lives in consequence," he said.
Tessier cited his son's sixth-grade graduation the evening the labour dispute began as an example of what's at stake. If his schedule could shift with a day's notice, he risked missing the moment entirely.
Alex Silas, national executive vice-president at PSAC, called the post language changes "a huge impact on work-life balance." He said the security officers are not demanding anything new — they're fighting to keep what they have. "If I got to drop off my kid at daycare at a specific time, and the employer calls me the night before and says, 'Oh, you're actually coming in two hours earlier,' what are you supposed to do with that?" Silas said.
Ruth Lau MacDonald, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President, said the Bank of Canada's proposal to roll back parental leave is unusual. "I haven't heard of any other employer rolling back on parental leave. Have you?" she said.
Silas noted this is only the second time the security officers have voted for a strike mandate and the first time in Bank of Canada history that workers have been on the picket line.