Employment Law Show: Ontario – S10 E154

Episode Summary

Can you be forced to sign a new contract? Is there a difference between severance and termination pay? Employment Lawyer Alex Lucifero, a managing partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, answers those questions and more on the Employment Law Show. 

LISTEN BELOW to Ontario’s premiere radio show about employment law and workplace rights featuring the province’s leading employment lawyers. You can hear the show live on Mondays to Thursdays at 640 Toronto and 980 CFPL in London at 6:30 p.m. ET, as the hosts take calls from listeners and provide vital answers to employees and employers. 

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Show Notes

• Offered an employment contract after years of employment: Employees should be wary of signing a new employment contract after being employed for many years. Employment contracts can contain language that seeks to limit an employee’s rights and entitlements, particularly in regard to severance pay and layoffs. Employees do not have to sign a new contract and are within their rights to refuse.
• Severance package calculations after termination: Severance pay is based on a number of factors including the age of an employee, their length of employment as well as their position. Other factors can also influence a severance package, such as commissions, car allowances, bonuses, etc.
• Forced to accept severance pay by a deadline: Employers often implement a deadline in order to pressure an employee to accept a severance package that is often inadequate. Employees have up to two years after the initial date of termination to pursue their severance entitlements. Employees’ entitlements do not change or reduce as a result of an employer’s deadline.

Need an employment lawyer?

• Pocket Employment Lawyer: Before you call a lawyer, use the Pocket Employment Lawyer to find out if you might have a case. 
• Severance Pay Calculator: Discover how much severance pay you should get when you lose your job. Used successfully by nearly 2 million Canadians. 
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