French Waiter Says He Was Fired for his ‘Direct, Honest’ Personality

A waiter in Vancouver who was fired for being aggressive with his colleagues says he’s not rude — he’s just French.

Guillaume Rey has filed a complaint at the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal against Milestones Restaurant and its parent company, Cara Operations, where he worked as a waiter from October 2015 to August 2016.

Cara and Milestones applied to dismiss the complaint, but tribunal member Devyn Cousineau denied their application earlier this month, paving the way for the complaint to be heard.

In her decision, Cousineau said the restaurant maintains that Rey was terminated for his “aggressive tone and nature” with colleagues, which violates its code of conduct.

But Rey says his co-workers misinterpreted his “direct, honest and professional” French personality.

Lior Samfiru, partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, joined The Morning Show on Global News Radio 640 Toronto to discuss the likelihood of Rey actually winning his human rights case, severance pay for waiters, and whether or not he actually has a wrongful dismissal case on his hands.

Listen to the Toronto employment lawyer’s interview below.