Date: 06 Mar, 2014| Posted: Fred Streiman

Wrongful Dismissal

Your termination of employment may be justified if the employee’s behaviour includes verbal threats of violence or physical misdeeds.

In June 2010, the Ontario government changed Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. These amendments, which are described as Bill 168, place upon the employer a positive duty to deal with workplace violence and harassment. In a recent arbitrator’s award arising from a union grievance procedure, the arbitrator upheld the dismissal of a problematic employee who had over the years displayed anger management problems. There was no history of physical violence, but threats and intimidating behaviour were repeated. The employee who had twenty-eight years of seniority, was terminated by the City of Kingston after a heated discussion with a co-worker and the employee’s union president about the very issue of the employee’s return to work. The employee, who clearly had no control over her behaviour, eventually ended the argument with the union president by making an oblique death threat. The threat was reported to the City’s management team, who investigated. The City came to the conclusion that there was no choice but to terminate the employee who grieved the termination.

The arbitrator concluded that, the Bill 168 amendments to the Occupation Health and Safety Act have changed the law of the workplace in a significant way. It appears that the law of wrongful dismissal has been amended, though it must be interpreted on the facts of each individual case. Termination is not an automatic knee jerk response to every example of violence or threat, but it is to be strongly taken into account in the determination as to whether or not the dismissal is with cause.

The formula that the arbitrator produced and which will be followed closely in wrongful dismissal actions is, to what extent is it likely that this employee if returned to the workplace, can be relied upon to conduct himself or herself in a way that is safe for others? If the employer cannot reasonably fulfil its obligation to provide a safe workplace under the law, the employer’s justification in terminating the loose canon of an employee will be justified.

Dale Streiman Law LLP regularly provides advice to both employers and employees in a non-union environment on wrongful dismissal matters.