After only two months on the job, an equipment operator/driver was terminated by his employer. He believed he had been terminated because he had recently raised several health and safety concerns about a job site. He had been concerned that a waste disposal bin he was required to service was in close proximity to overhead power lines. He alleged that upon telling his employer about his concerns, his employer terminated his employment.
The worker made a complaint to the Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Division, claiming that the employer's conduct constituted discriminatory action against him contrary to the occupational health and safety provisions of the Saskatchewan Employment Act (SEA). OH&S officials investigated the matter and determined that the worker's complaint of discriminatory action was well-founded. The employer was directed to reinstate the worker and make him whole with respect to lost wages and benefits. The employer appealed. The OH&S Adjudicator allowed the appeal. The worker then appealed that decision to the Labour Relations Board. The Board dismissed the appeal, finding that the Adjudicator's decision was reasonable.
The Board acknowledged that the worker was entitled to the protections in the SEA notwithstanding that he was still within his probationary period. The key issue before the Board was whether the worker's termination constituted discriminatory action; in other words, whether or not there was a causal connection between the worker voicing concerns about workplace safety and his termination shortly thereafter. This issue depended on whether or not the worker had advised the employer of his workplace safety concerns prior to the termination meeting. The Adjudicator had considered the evidence and determined that he had not. While he had mentioned it to his route coordinator, she did not have a management role and she had made it clear to the worker that he needed to bring his concerns to the attention of the general manager. Despite numerous opportunities, the worker did not discuss his concerns with his general manager until he was informed that he was being terminated. While the section of the SEA did not explicitly require a worker to advise the employer of safety concerns, the only reasonable interpretation was that a worker did have to notify the employer before being able to lawfully refuse work. The Board determined that the Adjudicator's conclusion that the worker had failed to notify the employer was reasonable and thus the Adjudicator's decision that the employer had not violated the SEA was also reasonable.
The Board also found that the Adjudicator's decision that the employer had good and sufficient other reason to terminate the worker's employment was reasonable. This related to the Adjudicator's determination that the employer had established that the worker had been insolent to the general manager, had made inappropriate statements to some of the employer's customer's employees, and had been the subject of a customer complaint. The Adjudicator had decided that the employer's determination, based on these incidents, that the worker was not a fit for the organization was the reason for the termination, not the fact that he had raised safety concerns. The Board found this decision was reasonable. The Board rejected the employer's request for costs.
Lund v. West Yellowhead Waste Resource Authority Inc. et al., 2017 CanLII 30151 (SK LRB)
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