Slashdot Mirror
BlackBerry Sued By Over 300 Former Employees (mobilesyrup.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report: BlackBerry is facing a class-action lawsuit from more than 300 former employees across Canada, according to a news release from law firm Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP. The Waterloo, Ontario-based tech company is accused of denying employees their termination entitlements by transferring them to a partner company and, once they had accepted employment there, handed them resignation letters. The former employees were then allegedly given their final date of work. "BlackBerry's actions amount to a termination of the employees' employment," the law firm said. "This entitles these employees to statutory, common law, and/or contractual entitlements on termination."
this is not about legal termination, this is about the company trying to pull a fast one in order to get out of paying severance pay BECAUSE they didnt have a legal reason to fire them but they didnt want to have to pay the amount that they are legally obligated to pay.Otherwise they would have justly terminated the employees with cause (and proper documentation)
Why are these laws so important? because they promote job security and job security is good for the economy.
Where do you work? would you be ok with your employer coming up to you and for no reason telling you to clean out your desk and get out? would you be ok with not getting any compensation at all, just told to GTFO?
they are not special little snowflakes as you so put it, they are the ones making sure that the company that you work for cant just do this to you. so, maybe they are better than you because they chose to fight rather than roll over for their corporate overlords.
This is in Ontario Canada. This is most definitely not an "at-will" jurisdiction when it comes to employment.
The Ontario Labour Relations Act applies, along with common law. (The entitlements written down are not what applies -- it is what is "usual and customary" that applies in Ontario for severance compensation -- and that is *much* more generous than what is written in the legislation.)
Anyone subject to severance (of any kind) in Ontario should consult with a lawyer experienced with the practice of employment law in Ontario before signing anything.
Ian Ameline