Employment & Labour: Labour for Unions

Virtually all of our lawyers practise employment law, which is the area of law governing the employment of executives, managers, and all other non-union employees. Unlike our labour law practice in which we exclusively represent trade unions, in our employment law practice we act for both employees and employers.

We provide advice and advocacy relating to all areas of the employment relationship. These range from drafting employment contracts, to dealing with matters arising during employment such as conducting or responding to workplace investigations, to of course those issues arising at the end of employment, including constructive dismissal and termination with and without cause. We are frequently retained to advise and act in respect of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements. The Human Rights Code is often engaged in employment matters, and we provide regular advice with respect to those issues. We are also often consulted regarding change in control provisions, and shareholder or other business disputes in which there is an employment element, as well as all other issues that involve executive level employees.

Employment disputes tend to be resolved by negotiation at a relatively early stage because that is the preferred route for both employees and employers. We also hold the view that a negotiated resolution, before positions become entrenched and costs escalate, is in general in the interests of both sides.