Add Comment Question: I am a school bus driver who was to go back to work from maternity leave this week and bring baby to work with me. The route I had prior worked great for that and was 20 hrs a week, most days her father would have been home from work so she would only be on the morning run. The company lost the contract for that route but didnt inform me until 3 weeks from school start up. I wasn't given new route details until 12 days from start up. The new route was 30+ hrs a week, and baby would need to be with me for all those hours and Dad would never be home in time to take her in the afternoon. That's too much time for a baby to be strapped in a car seat, so I couldn't take the route. Company could not offer an alternative route and now I dont have a job. Nine of the other bus operators are hiring either. Does this situation qualify for severance pay? I also have exhausted EI pay as I had to share 3 months of my parental leave weeks with regular summer shut down of the school bus and have had no income since June. Answer: An employer has the duty to accommodate an employee's family and childcaring needs (up to a certain point). If they fail to do so, it could be considered discrimination under human rights legislation. Furthermore, assuming you are not unionized, a unilateral and fundamental change to the terms of employment could entitle you to resign and claim for severance pay. This is known as a claim for "constructive dismissal". Before you take any further action, you should contact Samfiru Tumarkin for a consultation with an experienced employment lawyer to discuss your case and potential severance pay entitlements. Your Comment * Your Email * Your Name * Your City Note, your name, city and email is not displayed on the website. It is used to notify you that we have approved your comment.