This webinar on termination, layoff and government benefits is one of a series of Zoom webinars we are holding on employment law issues associated with COVID-19.
On Tuesday May 5, 2020, we held a webinar on “Termination, Layoff, and Government Benefits for Unionized Employees in the Age of COVID-19.”
Moderated by Kelly Doctor, this webinar was led by Colleen Bauman, Fiona Campbell, Simon Archer and Ben Katz.
Colleen outlined the statutory rights that provincially-regulated employees in Ontario have when they are terminated or laid off, and how those rights may interact with employees’ collective agreement rights. Fiona then explained the statutory rights federally-regulated employees have on termination and layoff.
Ben walked through the rules for accessing the income support benefits that laid off employees may be eligible for, including Canada Emergency Response Benefit and Employment Insurance. He then discussed the possibility of redeployment as an alternative to layoff.
Fiona outlined the the federal Work-Sharing Program, which can help avoid layoffs.
Finally, Simon explained the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which can also help avoid layoffs.
The powerpoint presentation used in the webinar is here.
