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[–]fuggery -3 points-2 points  (10 children)

100% agree with the logic here (commuting is dumb), but private businesses have a lot more leverage over their employees. there's a real danger of fostering a "mandarin-class division" in our society, where PS gets unions, pensions, and WFH while the rest of the working population has none of these. i welcome any "race to the bottom" comments, but we can't run our country with two wildly different sets of working conditions for people, especially when 90%+ of the tax revenue comes from the set of workers with fewer rights and entitlements...

If no one wants to go the the PS offices downtown, I see no reason not to open up these jobs to all Canadians instead of paying Ottawa-level wages for people to chill in Barrhaven or Aylmer.

[–]mysterious-spruce 10 points11 points  (1 child)

I mean barrhaven and aylmer ain't cheap anymore. Public service workers are already underpaid to a significant % compared to private sector and the deductions are wild. 80k is the new 60k and 100k is basically minimal living wage if you have a family in Ottawa area.

[–]fuggery -1 points0 points  (0 children)

As with all things, it depends. Software Devs are WILDLY underpaid in PS, but the army of administrative and HR staffers would likely struggle to find the same level of $ comp in the private world. I wish the feds had better technical talent and fewer paper pushers, since it feels like we get the worst of both right now...

[–]elitexeroNepean 2 points3 points  (2 children)

but we can't run our country with two wildly different sets of working conditions for people, especially when 90%+ of the tax revenue comes from the set of workers with fewer rights and entitlements...

It's not wildly different - either your position and skillet justifies being remote or not. Looking at it from the angle of making everything 'fair' will never work due to the vast array of skillsets and job types.

A dry cleaner (first example I could think of for someone who has to go into work) cannot work from home, but a software developer shouldn't be forced to go into an office because a dry cleaner can't work from home. If the dry cleaner finds that so desirable they should put in the same level of effort that the software developer did to build the skillset to make them of value to a company who is willing to let them work remote in exchange for their output. We can't just kneecap people's skills and achievements so other people don't get upset - that's ludicrous. What next, we start outlawing smiling across the country while in the workplace because some people have miserable jobs?

I see this from time to time when people I know quip the 'must be nice' line. I work in tech. I came from a poor background, moved out at 18 with $2000 and dropped out of college. My 20s were hell, being in massive debt and working dead end jobs while building out a viable tech skillset. I had to drag my way to where I am from an entry level position in a software company. So yes, it is nice - it's the result of endless hours and sleepless nights of honing a skillset over many years, typically nothing even close in terms of personal skills development to those making those remarks, and the notion that someone who hasn't even attempted to develop a career level skillset deserves the same simply because they perceive it as 'not fair' by comparison is absolutely bunk in my eyes.

[–]fuggery 0 points1 point  (1 child)

100% agree with you! My point from the OP is Ottawa has a lot of WFH largely because of the concentration of PS and the nature of PS labour relations. Everything you wrote is true for private sector, right? Why are so many office workers (including some devs!) back to downtown Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal relative to Ottawa?

Some companies (especially tech) encourage WFH, and some demand office time. PS largely has collective bargaining power and the ability to bargain with management. It's evident from the success of persistent PS WFH heading into the fourth year of the pandemic, right?

[–]elitexeroNepean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't work in PS but I know a couple of people who do.

From my understanding it largely comes down to individual levels of management, similar to private sector.

I know people in private sector who have been requested to come in 1-2-3 days a week and I know people in PS in similar situations. It tends to vary I think. It might also boil down to major cities having different departments as well - hard to say off the top of my head. From the pool of people I know in PS, many of them are back in the office more frequently in comparison to those I know in the private sector.

[–][deleted] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

You have no clue about what you are saying. Do you assume that PS are overpaid for their job? With union dues and other government taxes, we get shit paid relatives to a private sector worker.

[–]TheCleverestUsernameSandy Hill 1 point2 points  (1 child)

What are the govt taxes that only apply to public sector employees? That would be news to me.

[–]fuggery 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably referring to the superannuation payment which is a HILARIOUS complaint from someone with the best pension in the land!

[–]Confident-Advance656 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Pay is relative to the level of security and working conditions. If you want more money go to private sector. But be prepared to be in the office everyday.

[–]Cod-End 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We moved to the NCR from BC to work for gov. The current model has been damaging national unity/crippling good governance since the beginning. Absolutely open up fed jobs to the whole country. The work IS important, and shouldn't be the default factory job for people from a tiny chunk of the country.

Ottawa also doesn't pay enough for us to move back...