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I have been an employee with a company for 29 years. As a forestry consulting firm, temporary layoffs are a regular occurrence, although mine is currently close to 20 weeks long. Over the past year, the company has drastically altered my job as a project manager. I received my T4 slip for 2020, and it shows a very large decrease in my earnings for the year as a result of this past year's changes to my position as a project manager for the previous 15 years (on these contracts alone. I had previously managed other projects for the company.). By a large decrease, I'm referring to a drop from more than $75,000.00 in 2019 to less than $40,000.00 in 2020! To me, that represents a massive change, not to mention that it was without my knowledge or consent. I know for certain (based on the prework conference with the client prior to the start of field season) that the annual budget for 2020 was the same as the previous year(s) of this contract. I also know that assignments (every one of which came across my desk for the past 15 years) were diverted and withheld from me, thus literally taking work away from me that has solely been done by my work partner or myself since 2005, when I began managing the contract(s). I have also seen mapping that demonstrates a significant amount of work was done in my existing project areas, although not by my work partner or myself, as had always been required under this contract. In addition, I was isolated from my contract administrator and clients in the Kootenay Lake Business area, wherein more than 50% of the annual budget had been allocated, and I was also removed from all budget involvement, crew assignments, training, quality control, scheduling, field and office reviews with the client(s), and all planning, field and office work attributed to the Kootenay Lake assignments. All of these facets that I was excluded from were regular parts of my existing position as project manager. The company even went so far as to withhold in-house services required to complete existing assignments (and are still doing so). In my limited understanding of Employment Law, it would occur to me that these actions were a blatant and malevolent attack on my job position and the very earning of my living. Do these concrete actions by my employers not constitute a solid and irrefutable case of violation of my employment rights?
Hi. I have a question. When your employer is a physician and he decides to retire and close his practice, does he have to pay severance his employees?
I am asking this for a collegue that wishes to remain anonymous. In their contract, it specifies that overtime will be paid beginning at 42 hours; since they are salaried they accumulate hours in lieu at a 1:1 ratio. 1 hour in lieu for every hour of overtime worked. They are scheduled a minimum of 45 hours per week, and usually 51 hours one or two weeks per month. Is this employee receiving their due amount of lieu time? The ESA states 1.5 hours for every 1 hour of overtime worked for salaried employees. How does this interact with how OT is paid in their contract? If this employee misses time, say they were ill or caring for a family member, they are told they "owe the company that time" - at a 1:1 ratio. Does this need to be written into their contract to be enforceable?
Follow-up to the previous question on forced consent for COVID-19 testing information. The company claims the information being granted to the 3rd party company is only in case of a positive COVID-19 test to be shared with Health Canada. The other concern is that, on the consent form they provided, they have a disclaimer waiving any responsibility for both companies. "By signing below, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, I hereby release, waive and discharge Abbott and WMC and each of their affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents of and from all claims, demands, damages, costs, expenses, actions and causes of action, including injury, arising or to arise by reason of the COVID-19 Screen, or by reason of the failure of the COVID-19 Screen to detect that I have COVID-19." This appears to allow them to not pay employees who are either tested positive and sent home or not pay employees they deem have been in close contact of someone else who tested positive. Can they legally waive all these responsibilities?
Greetings. We have just been informed that our company is demanding that we sign consent to allow a company-hired, 3rd party nursing company to administer COVID-19 tests and collect our private data and share with Health Canada. I am uncomfortable with forced waiving of what I consider to be my right to privacy. When I asked if I could just continue working from home (like I have been for ~ 1 year now) instead of having to work on site and be exposed to this, I was told no. When I asked what repercussions I could expect if I did not provide consent, I was told that I would be placed on unpaid leave. Is what the company doing legal in Ontario?
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