The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Wrongful Dismissal? (BC citizens take note)
Descendant X
Skyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered User regular
Skyrim is my god now.Outpost 31Registered User regular
My wife has been working at Petcetera (a BC pet food chain) since August, and at one point was being considered for management. She is an excellent employee as far as any of her co-workers are concerned, has never been written up or had a verbal warning, and there is no reason for what has happened today.
My wife was working the cash register and answering phones today. The president called around four or so in order to ensure that the phone was being answered by saying "Petcetera, Season's Greetings, how may I help you?" My wife states that she answered the phone correctly, but he did not hear her and when he asked for clarification she said "how may I help you?"
So he gets off the phone, calls the manager, and says that he will be speaking to her about the situation on Monday. After some very careful thought he and the VP called back an hour or so later and told my wife's manager to fire my wife.
The way we see it, she should of gotten written up for such a minor infraction, but hey, I obviously don't know how to run a business.
So do any of you guys have any ideas of what avenues and rights we have here?
(edited to trim some unnecessary sour grapes.)
My wife was working the cash register and answering phones today. The president called around four or so in order to ensure that the phone was being answered by saying "Petcetera, Season's Greetings, how may I help you?" My wife states that she answered the phone correctly, but he did not hear her and when he asked for clarification she said "how may I help you?"
So he gets off the phone, calls the manager, and says that he will be speaking to her about the situation on Monday. After some very careful thought he and the VP called back an hour or so later and told my wife's manager to fire my wife.
The way we see it, she should of gotten written up for such a minor infraction, but hey, I obviously don't know how to run a business.
So do any of you guys have any ideas of what avenues and rights we have here?
(edited to trim some unnecessary sour grapes.)
Garry: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time I'd rather not spend the rest of the winter TIED TO THIS FUCKING COUCH!
Descendant X on
0
Posts
Possible resources:
BC Federation of Labour
The organized face of the union movement. They ought to at least be able to tell you if you have a leg to stand on.
Quick googling turns up these pages:
WorkRights
BC Ministry of Labour, Employment Standards Branch
Those pages should explain the rights and responsibilities, etc, etc.
Good luck. Thats some real bullshit they seem to have pulled on your wife. I can't imagine she'd actually still want to work there after this experience, but getting treated like crap by an employer sucks.
I mean honestly, im sure you believe your wife, but people have a habit of stretching the truth, especially if they know they might have done something wrong.
If this is exactly what happened, im sure you could fight it in court, and probably win. But it would be a long drawn out battle for wrongful dismissal and youd have to find witnesses who have been repremanded for the same action but allowed to keep their job, stuff like that. In the end you probably will spend more money on a good lawyer who will be able to help you with these things than youll win from Petcetera.
But like someone else said, are you sure this is the kind of company you wife would want to keep working for? Sounds like a load of shit to me.
Check out my band, click the banner.
And as for the president having the time to call, it's a private corporation and the president is the type of guy who has time to do walkthroughs of each store almost monthly, some of those being surprise check-ins. The guy's a fucking psychopath. This guy's wife gave birth last month, and he was back at work the next day. He's got nothing better to do on a Saturday night than make spot inspections of his stores.
And no, she doesn't want to work there anymore, but we're going to try to make sure this dumb bastard knows that he can't just fire people without just cause. And perhaps get some kind of compensation as well.
1) Usually when a place does something like this and then gets 'forced' by law to give a job back they pay damn close attention to find any flaw significant enough to fire the person.
2) (Although this one is less relevant due to it being someone in a remote location who is unhappy with her) you return to work and theres alot of tension between employee/employer.
I just dont know if the stress of watching your every move, or the tension would really make me want the job... From the sounds of it, it's a retail job, and those are relatively easy to find and get placed in, unless she only likes working there because of the pets, or other specifics about the products, I'm sure she'd likely be just as happy (or perhaps happier) working somewhere where she doesn't have to think about these things as much. Also, you've gotta consider the legal fees, it'd essentially be buying her job back, which again, as it's in retail, I can't imagine would pay too well.
This is not the case in Canada... In Canada you can only be "let go" for financial reasons (ie, can't afford to pay them, profits down) but you can be "fired" for something you did wrong, but it'd require you to break a company policy of some sort or a law...
http://www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/facshts/termination.htm
Did your wife get notice in advance, and in writing? If not, she looks to have a legit complaint, and is entitled to compensation.
how did he know whom he was speaking to when he called?
Deusfaux: My wife also stated her name when she answered the call, which I neglected to mention. Either way, she was the only female staff on cash and answering phones at the time so it wouldn't have been difficult to figure out who had answered the phone.
There is also the possibility that she was still on probabation, in which case, they can let her go without cause.
EDIT: nm, that's 3 months in BC
took out her barrettes and her hair spilled out like rootbeer
They cast a shadow like a sundial in the morning light. It was half past 10.
Yes, they might be fast to settle if they're worried about the publicity. There's nothing wrong with using the media as a tool, especially against a company. They hate that.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
Well, according to that page I linked, it looks your wife may be due a week's pay as compensation. At the very least, you should talk to the ESB.
Yes, tenure is really important in these cases.
AND
If she was on a probationary period, then you've got no case at all.