Public service union’s court challenge of return-to-office order will proceed [Video]

A Federal Court judge has ordered a full hearing be held in the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s challenge to the federal government’s return-to-office directive.

On Thursday, Justice Glennys L. McVeigh dismissed the federal government’s attempts to quash or halt the challenge, saying both sides needed to argue the matter based on a full record.

In May, the federal government issued a directive requiring its workers to come into the office for a minimum of three days a week, or 60 per cent of their regular weekly or monthly schedules. The directive comes into force Sept. 9.

Within a week of the May announcement, PSAC launched a policy grievance, two complaints with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, and an application for a judicial review in Federal Court.

The federal government tried to quash the court challenge, or have it stayed until all the other challenges were …