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你有权获得两年以上遣散费吗

By 官话

当一份长期劳动合同结束,劳动者被无故解雇时, 依据普通法规定, 劳动者有权获得一笔数额可观的遣散费。该费用计算标准为, 劳动者每工作一年,公司应支付一个月工资作为补偿,以24个月为上限, 即:即使员工在某公司工作工作30至40年,其最高遣散费也不会超过24个月。 当然, 上述规定并不排除法院判定雇佣者支付超过24个月遣散费的个例, 但这种情况只在“特殊情况”下发生。安大略省上诉法院最近在Currie v. Nylene Canada Inc庭审中,支持了初审法庭关于Nylene Canada Inc支付Currie 女士26个月遣散费的判决。期间,上诉法院认定了一系列 “特殊情况” 的要素。 判决第11段, 依据Currie 女士工作经历,法院认定如下事实: Currie 女士自18岁高中毕业始既在Nylene 工厂担任扭线操作员,并将整个工作生涯奉献于此,且最终荣升为向领班汇报工作的首席操作员。 为Nylene工作40年, Currie 女士具备极其专业的技术技能。 然,在职业生涯接近尾声时被无故解雇。 现年58岁的Currie 女士虽然有着专业的工作技能,但在当下大数据时代,其计算机操作能力有限。尽管曾努力尝试获得基本的计算机技能,以期重新投入工作减轻失业损失,但初审法官不认为其能成功获得同等工资待遇的替代工作。 自 Currie 女士 1979 年进入职场以来,工作环境发生了显著变化,但其工作经验仅限于在特定制造业环境中。失业后,其很难过渡到其他工作岗位。 考虑到 Currie 女士的年龄、有限的教育和技能等相关因素,法院认定该解雇“相当于强制退休”。 该判决的关键在于,法院认定解雇是变相“强制退休”。Currie女士自18岁进入Eylene 工厂一直从事纤维生产工作。自工厂倒闭,其处于被迫失业状态。40年呕心沥血工作,Nylene 竟不愿意为其提供再就业机会并支付足够的代赔偿金。 Currie 女士目前并不存在其他任何可转换工作岗位的专业技能,尽管出于年龄考虑其仍可获得工作机会,但必须从事与计算机技能无关的职位。当前的数字时代,这将限制大大减少其获得工作的机会。据此, 法院裁定普通法关于 24 个月上限不适用于 Currie 女士的情况。 如果您已在某公司供职多年,最近因为工厂关闭或其他原因被解雇,您应该有权像Currie 女士一样获得系列通知, 雇用单位亦应支付相应遣散费,以回报您几十年来对公司的的忠诚和奉献。 否则, 请联系我们。De Bousquet PC 律师事务所 随时准备帮助因无故被解雇而孤助无援的您。在这里,我们将用专业的知识、丰富的经验,竭诚提供服务,帮助您获取相应的遣散补偿费, 实现法律赋予您的权利,  

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雇主是可否以拒绝遵守疫苗政策为合理理由解雇我?

By 官话

为贯彻执行政府关于 COVID-19 疫苗接种政策,大多数工作场所雇主要求员工完全接种疫苗并提供疫苗接种证明, 然而,目前仍有部分工人对接种疫苗持抵制态度。 为此,雇主采取了相应措施执行疫苗接种政策——其中之一就是,以拒绝遵守疫苗接种政策为由合理终止员工的劳动关系。 解除劳动合同的合理理由 合理解除劳动合同是指,在劳动关系存续期间,雇主有权以员工从事了某种禁止行为为由解除劳动关系,且雇主无需提前通知员工,也无需支付劳动赔偿金。 常见的合理理由 不诚实:工作场所不诚实包括,员工提交不准确的加班工资或病假信息获取福利;接受供应商的回扣,窃取公司财产等。 不服从:雇员故意拒绝服从其工作范围内雇主的合法合理指示。 傲慢无礼:员工对公司管理人员使用不能接受的或侮辱性的语言。  非工作期间损害行为:员工被证实非工作期间从事损害雇主业务或声誉行为,雇主即可以此为合理理由解雇员工。 拒绝遵守执行疫苗政策是否为解除劳动合同的合理理由 答案是:视情况而定。 这一领域的诉讼初露端倪,法律尚未就此定论。在最近的 Electrical Safety Authority v Power Workers’ Union*中,仲裁结果显示,员工如果因不遵守疫苗接种政策,在相当长时间无法从事本职工作,且无正当理由提供合理有效替代方案,雇主有权处分,惩罚,甚至开除员工。换言之,因具体情况不同,需具体问题具体分析以确定劳动关系的解除理由是否正当合理 。 如果员工可以大部分时间提供远程工作,雇主无权以拒接接种疫苗或提供疫苗证明为合理理由解除劳动关系。反之,如果工作性质为员工为老幼病残等弱势群体提供现场服务,不遵守疫苗政策可能会导致劳动关系的合理解除。 当然,如果员工以人权为理由(如医疗或宗教)拒绝接种疫苗,雇主通常需要为员工提供合理的调整通融方案。 生活中,如果您雇主以未遵守工作场所的疫苗接种政策为合理理由解除您的劳动关系, 或者雇主未因您的医疗或宗教人权要求提供合理调整政策,请立即联系我们,De Bousquet PC律师事务所将以专业的知识及丰富的经验为您提供法律服务。 如果你有兴趣了解更多关于 Electrical Safety Authority v Power Workers’ Union的裁定,请阅读我们的博客:https://www.debousquet.com/blog/2021/12/14/the-power-workers-union-covid-19-vaccine-policy/

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Arbitration Clauses and Contracting Out of Employment Standards Legislation – Why the Gig Economy Faces Uber Big Problems

By Uncategorized

One of the more recent additions to the modern landscape has been technology-based, independent contractor working relationships that are highly flexible and remote. Many have called the system made up of these new work arrangements the “gig economy.” The gig economy offers drivers, dog walkers, language speakers, and any other service provider, the ability to freelance their services through savvy tech companies like Uber and Foodora that have built powerful apps that link the freelancer to the customer.   While ingenious and an effective capitalization on the power of the internet, this new model has had some perverse effects on workers’…

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Don Cherry Fired from Sportsnet – Can an Employee be Fired for Making Controversial Remarks?

By Uncategorized

On November 9, 2019, legendary Hockey analyst Don Cherry made remarks during an on-air Coach’s Corner segment insinuating that immigrants benefit from the sacrifices made by Canada’s veterans but rarely wear poppies to acknowledge their sacrifices. Mr. Cherry’s off-the-cuff political commentary proved to be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. On November 11, just two days later, Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley announced that Cherry had been fired.   Cherry’s fate begs the question: Did Sportsnet have a legal leg to stand on? Can an employer fire an employee for making controversial remarks?  Whether Mr. Cherry was terminated with or without cause…

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Can Negative Performance Affect Bonus Owed to an Employee During the Reasonable Notice Period?

By Uncategorized

As regular readers would know, if an employee has been terminated without cause, and the employee’s contract does not contain language limiting entitlements at termination to statutory minimums, that employee is owed reasonable notice of termination or pay in lieu thereof. The legal jargon for this is “common law notice.”      The common law notice period is the period of time that a court determines a terminated employee would reasonably need to secure alternative, similar employment. Generally, the notice period consists of one month for every year of service. The notice period can fluctuate based on the principles established in…

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Are You Being Subjected to Workplace Harassment and, If So, What Can You Do About It?

By Uncategorized

Unfortunately, many employees have negative experiences while at work. These can come in the form of not getting along with a co-worker, unfair performance reviews, getting yelled at by the boss, or any number of other situations that may come up in the workplace. However, it is not always easy to tell whether what one has been subjected to at his or her place of employment constitutes harassment. Further, many people do not know how they can address it or what their protections are. This post will provide an overview of the law of workplace harassment in Ontario, but will…

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Ensuring Compliance with the Employment Standards Act or an Inoperative Severability Clause? Subtle Differences in the Wording of Termination Provisions Can Lead to Opposite Effects

By Uncategorized

As courts have become more flexible in deciding whether termination clauses in employment agreements are enforceable, the arguments that specific clauses are not have gotten more creative. In Amberber v. IBM Canada Ltd., 2018 ONCA 571, the Ontario Court of Appeal reversed the trial judge’s holding that a termination clause was void because a sentence that attempted to ensure compliance with the Employment Standards Act (ESA) was actually a severability clause that was inoperative and could not save the rest of the provision. In North v. Metaswitch Networks Corporation, 2017 ONCA 790, the Court of Appeal affirmed the following rule: …

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Full Documentary Disclosure and Privacy Obligations to Third Parties – Are They Mutually Exclusive?

By Uncategorized

One of the fundamental doctrines of litigation is full documentary disclosure. Courts have vigilantly upheld the rule that all relevant documents should be disclosed so that the opposing party knows the case to be met. The principle is so deeply embedded in our justice system that before an affidavit of documents (a brief of relevant evidence) is sent to an opposing party, a lawyer must sign a certificate stating that he or she has explained to the client that they are required to make full disclosure. A court can sanction a party for failing to disclose relevant documents that are…

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How Billing Percentages Can Make or Break Your Dependent Contractor Status

By Uncategorized

Being classified as a dependent contractor versus an independent contractor is important for several reasons. For one, dependent contractors are entitled to reasonable notice or pay in lieu of notice. However, independent contractors enjoy no such entitlement. Despite this difference, classifying workplace relationships can be a tricky endeavor. Canadian courts rely heavily on the context of the working arrangement. The terms of a contract, though persuasive, are not the only deciding factors. They are not determinative.      Accordingly, Canadian courts have established five tests to consider when attempting to determine whether a dependent contractor relationship exists between an agent and…

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McDonald’s Fires CEO over Office Romance – How to Navigate the Not-So-Rosy Waters of Office Romances

By Uncategorized

We spend long hours at our workplaces. That, coupled with plenty of social time at happy-hours, retirement parties and team-building social activities, makes workplaces optimal environments for relationships to flourish, be they platonic or romantic. Office romances are inevitable. The legal implications of engaging in an office romance, however, are complicated. There are important consequences that employees and employers should understand when faced with an office romance, depending on the nature of the relationship and the employer’s policy.  Nature of the Relationship  Recently, Mcdonald’s fired its CEO over a relationship he was having with an employee. The board of directors…

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Is It Possible to Predict How Courts Will Treat Your Termination Clause? The Early Aftermath of Nemeth v Hatch

By Uncategorized

In Nemeth v Hatch Ltd, 2018 ONCA 7, the Ontario Court of Appeal added a lot of uncertainty to the already confusing task of interpreting termination clauses in employment agreements. Employees have both common law and statutory entitlements to notice of termination without cause. Many employers try to limit their employees’ entitlements to the minimum amounts of notice required by the Employment Standards Act (ESA), or to another amount that is less than the reasonable amount of notice at common law. To do so successfully, the employer must clearly specify some other period of notice that meets the minimum entitlements…

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