IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR AJC MEMBERS ON COVID-19

The AJC continues to participate in daily meetings with senior Treasury Board officials and other bargaining agent heads to discuss the on-going situation with CoViD-19. As we have from the onset, we are requiring the government to protect the health and safety of our members and Canadians at large, and we continue to closely monitor changes. It is in large part thanks to the unrelenting pressure that the AJC and other unions put on the Employer that it took the necessary life-saving measures currently in place.

As of right now, all AJC members should be working from home until further notice. You should be teleworking to the extent possible, and on paid leave to the extent that it isn’t. On-site work is only considered if your work is a critical service and working remotely is not feasible.

A critical service is one that, if disrupted, would result in a high or very high degree of injury to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians, or to the effective functioning of the Government of Canada.

The only possible scenario where AJC members may meet this definition is with respect to urgent judicial hearings that for some exceptional reason cannot be conducted by phone.  Courtrooms are shutting down across Canada and we expect examples of this to be very rare.

If any managers are still requesting that any of our members be in the workplace, please contact your regional GC representative immediately.

We have heard some troubling reports of our members refusing their managers’ request to work from  home.  Please, we ask you comply immediately.  All of the expert advice is unanimous that staying home is an important obligation for each and every one of us to protect the lives of our fellow Canadians.

We can’t stress this enough: Delaying the spread of infection will reduce the burden on Canada’s healthcare system and lower the impact on vulnerable members of our community.

You can find more information on Canada’s response to Covid-19 here:

•            Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Canada’s response - https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/canadas-reponse.html

•            Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Travel advice - https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/latest-travel-health-advice.html

The Government of Canada's coronavirus information line (1-833-784-4397) is also available from 7:00 a.m. to midnight (EST), seven days a week.

For more information on courts house operations across the country please consult: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/practice-areas/litigation/covid-19-and...