COVID-19: Refusing to return to an unsafe workplace – Global News

Several Canadian provinces have announced plans to slowly re-open businesses that were closed at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Can you refuse to return to work, or will you lose your job?

Global News spoke to Lior Samfiru, an employment lawyer and co-founding partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, about the concept of refusing to work in an unsafe environment. He believes there will be a lot of “confusion” because the rules about what makes a workplace safe in the eyes of the government during the pandemic haven’t always been clear and are often changing.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of this confusion and a lot of people doing what they believe is right when it’s probably not actually right.”

If you’re an employee nervous about re-entering the workplace, a good place to start is an open, honest discussion with your employer.

“Talk about what can be done … to make you feel safe and make the workplace more conducive to working,” Samfiru said.

“I think a lot of employers are going to be receptive.”