Mackenzie Irwin on wrongful dismissal of HBC employee

Retail worker Yvette Mitchell was on a temporary layoff at Hudson Bay Company when her employer informed her she would be recalled but with drastic changes to her employment, including a loss of benefits and vacation. After two decades with the company, Yvette sought out legal counsel through Samfiru Tumarkin LLP to pursue her rights.

Mackenzie Irwin, an employment lawyer and associate at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and Mitchell’s legal representative, spoke with The Canadian Press regarding Mitchell’s rights and the details of her claim.

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• Severance pay for HBC employees

“What HBC is trying to do is change the terms of her employment such that they could potentially award her zero hours in any given week,“ Irwin explained. “It creates serious instability… and is quite palpably unfair.”

Irwin goes on to state that a worker has the right to treat major changes to their job as a termination through constructive dismissal, and leave with an amount of severance based on their age, years of service and position.

Read about Mitchell’s story in the Toronto Star, CityNews, Yahoo Finance, and Victoria News.

Read our press release about this claim here.