Employment Law

Most of us need a steady paycheck. In order to support ourselves and our families as well as plan for life’s various stages, we need job security. To protect employees, the law requires employers to demonstrate lawful grounds for terminating an employment. A lawful ground can relate to the employee personally or relate to redundancy, in other words, the employee can improve the company’s financial performance with fewer employees. Even if lawful grounds exist, the employer may not terminate the employee if the employer can eliminate the grounds for termination by transferring the employee to a different position in the company. When lawful grounds exist, it is important for the employer to observe the various rules regarding manner and timing of the termination. If the employer is bound by a collective bargaining agreement or employees at the company are members of a trade union, the employer must negotiate with the trade union before making decisions effecting the workplace or an member of the trade union. Failure to do so can lead to substantial compensation claims from the trade union as well as the employee.