The Ontario Superior Court recently held that a dismissed employee who received Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) payments immediately following his dismissal should not receive less in wrongful dismissal damages on account of the fact he received the emergency benefit. The decision underscores the point that CERB does not affect an employer’s post-termination obligations. In … Continue reading
French President Emmanuel Macron implemented a significant reform of the French employment code in late 2017, with the intention of providing employers greater flexibility and predictability in managing labour relations. One of the most controversial measures was the creation of a grid applicable to the amount of indemnities due to employees for unfair dismissal, setting … Continue reading
The beginning of summer break for students across Ontario also means the release of their final grades. While student evaluation is only one part of a teacher’s job, it is crucial for the integrity of the school system and for students’ post-secondary education opportunities. In the recent decision Fernandes v Peel Educational & Tutorial … Continue reading
In a time where social media is everywhere and a business’s reputation means everything, employers continue to try and understand how certain posts on social media can justify an employee’s termination in the appropriate circumstances. In MacKinnon v Helpline Inc., the Court ruled that an employee’s private, non-confidential, off-duty communications via Facebook and MSN e-mail … Continue reading
Employees in the United States are generally considered employed at-will in most jurisdictions, meaning that either the employee or the employer can terminate the relationship at any time, for any reason or no reason at all, without providing notice. The general rule gives way, however, in limited circumstances which trigger certain federal (and potentially state-specific) … Continue reading
In the UK, an employee’s notice rights are governed primarily by the terms of the employment contract but are also subject to the statutory right to a minimum period of notice dependent on length of service. Notice will usually be required to terminate the employment contract lawfully. Exceptions to this, where there are lawful grounds … Continue reading
Both the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (Québec Charter) as well as the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Canadian Charter) provide for the right not to be discriminated against on the ground of age. In the context of employment, the Québec Charter prohibits discrimination based on age with respect to the hiring, … Continue reading
In August 2011, the British Columbia Court of Appeal held that pension benefits received by an employee during the reasonable notice period were not to be deducted from wrongful dismissal damages for that period: 2011 BCCA 337. A 7-member majority of the SCC agreed with that approach in IBM Canada Limited v Waterman, 2013 SCC … Continue reading
When job redundancies arise in an organization, whether as result of a merger, restructuring, or downsizing, employers need to remain aware of duties under human rights legislation, such as the Ontario Human Rights Code. To meet these expectations, an employer’s decision regarding which employees will lose their jobs can not be tainted in any way by discriminatory decision-making. … Continue reading
The German Federal Labour Court recently decided that dismissals for redundancy reasons can be made even if free positions are available at another business unit abroad. In the case at hand, an employer decided to move its production from Germany to the Czech Republic. Only the administration department remained in Germany. Thus, the employer dismissed … Continue reading
Under French law, in order to be valid, a dismissal must be based on a real and serious cause which must be exact, precise, objective and of a sufficiently serious nature to justify the dismissal. This requirement applies to any type of dismissal regardless of the age / position / length of service of the … Continue reading
Everyone in South Africa has the right to fair labour practices. And everyone, through the Labour Relations Act, has the right not to be unfairly dismissed. Legislation provides three broad grounds for dismissal: Misconduct; Incapacity/ poor performance; and Operational requirements. In order for a dismissal on any of these grounds to be conclusive, it must be … Continue reading
One thing is very clear under Venezuela legislation, it is almost impossible to dismiss a worker. A. Job Stability Theoretically, the Labour Law allows employers to terminate workers with or without cause. Employers are able to terminate workers with cause based on the grounds listed in Article 79 of the Labour Law. Employers have a … Continue reading
On the termination of employment in the UK, leaving aside issues of discrimination, human rights, and claims for a redundancy payment, an employee has two key types of potential claim against his employer. Wrongful dismissal The first is a claim of wrongful dismissal, which is a claim based in contract. In essence, a claim of … Continue reading