1.在劳动关系存续的过程中,劳动者因病、因伤需要暂时离岗,在病情、伤情痊愈,或者医生允许的情况下,可以回来工作。但是,出于对后续持续治疗(可能需要定期跑医院)、健康的考虑,需要雇主针对劳动者的工作岗位、工作时间、工作强度及内容等作出相应的调试。
2.对此,安省人权法案(Human Rights Code, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.19)及职业安全与保险法(Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 16, Sched. A)都有相应的规定。
安省人权法案第2(1)条:
Accommodation
2 (1) Every person has a right to equal treatment with respect to the occupancy of accommodation, without discrimination because of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability or the receipt of public assistance.
职业安全与保险法第41(6)条
Duty to accommodate
(6) The employer shall accommodate the work or the workplace for the worker to the extent that the accommodation does not cause the employer undue hardship.
3.问题来了:如果雇主没有尽到这样的业务,导致员工受不了,主动辞职,是否构成推定解雇(wrongful dismissal)?我们结合判例来谈这个问题。
4.Stomp v. 3M Canada, 2023 ONSC 5180 (CanLII)的简要案情:
4.1原告于 1999 年 9 月至 2022 年 1 月 2 日期间受雇于 3M 公司。2020 年 8 月,原告因心脏病发作、摔倒和头部受伤而休病假。经批准,他在2020 年 8 月 7 日至 11 月 22 日休假,但是此后的休长期病假的申请在 2020 年 12 月被拒绝。
4.2原告从2021 年 2 月逐步返岗。但是,他主张,被告公司没有对返岗恢复工作提供相应的安排,导致他在2022 年 1 月 2 日主动辞职。以下是他在起诉状中的描述举例:
在第 8 段中——“…Stomp 先生辩称,2022 年 1 月 2 日,由于被告未能适应他的残疾,导致他长期处于有毒和有害的工作环境中,以及被告一再对他进行歧视性对待,推定是被告解雇了原告。”
• 第 9 段——“…他被迫于 2022 年 1 月 2 日辞职,因为他无法再忍受被告数月来无视和/或忽视他在病假后重返工作岗位时的需求和所需的便利条件。简而言之,Stomp 先生经历了一个有毒的工作场所,他无法继续工作。为此,Stomp 先生表示,被告的不作为、行为和举止导致他的身心疾病恶化。
• 第 14 段——“…Stomp 先生辩称,他曾与经理 Eric McMillan 讨论过以下问题:工作量过大;Stomp 先生因身心状态和反复发作的心律失常而无法跟上工作进度。Stomp 先生辩称,McMillan 先生没有为他提供任何合理的便利条件……
• 第 16 段——“重返工作岗位后,Stomp 先生辩称,他再次没有得到被告在适应其残疾方面的任何帮助。由于被告对他实施了建设性解雇,Stomp 先生于 2022 年 1 月 2 日辞职,因为被告未能为他提供过度困难的适应,并且被告为他创造了一个有毒和/或有毒的工作场所,使他无法继续受雇。
• 第 17 段——“……被告从未做出任何合理的努力来满足 Stomp 先生的需求,也没有向他提供他因残疾而应得但未收到的巨额奖金和工资。这些因素共同构成了 Stomp 先生无法再忍受的有毒和有害的工作环境,迫使他提交辞呈以保护自己的身心健康,该辞呈自 2022 年 1 月 17 日起生效。Stomp 先生辩称,从整体上看,被告的不作为以及有毒和歧视行为,显然被告不再打算受其对他承担的合同义务的约束……
5.关于推定开除的要件,安大略上诉法院在Chapman v. GPM Investment Management, 2017 ONCA 227提出了如下两个要件:
The first is where the employer has, by a single unilateral act, breached an essential term of the contract of employment. This requires the court to conclude that the employer’s conduct constitutes a breach of the employment contract. The conduct must also be found to substantially alter an essential term of the contract.第一种情况是雇主通过单方面的行为违反了劳动合同的基本条款。这要求法院认定雇主的行为构成了对劳动合同的违反。该行为还必须被认定为实质性地改变了合同的基本条款。
The second branch allows for constructive dismissal to be made out where there has been “a series of acts that, taken together, show that the employer no longer intends to be bound by the contract”. The focus here is on the cumulative effect of past acts by the employer that establish that the employer no longer intends to be bound by the contract.第二种情况是允许推定解雇在存在“一系列行为表明雇主不再打算受合同约束”的情况下成立。这里的重点在于雇主过去行为的累积效应,这些行为表明雇主不再打算受合同约束。
两种情况情况的实质都是,On both branches, it is the employer’s perceived intention no longer to be bound by the contract that gives rise to the constructive dismissal. 在这两种情况下,导致推定解雇的是雇主被认为不再打算受合同约束的意图。
6.在Colistro v. Tbaytel, 2019 ONCA 197 (CanLII)案,是这样说的:
While the trial judge employed the second approach to constructive dismissal described in Potter, there is overlap between the two approaches Potter describes. Some courts have found constructive dismissal based on the breach of an implied term or duty that the employer will treat the employee with civility, decency, respect and dignity (Piresferreira; Sweeting v. Mok, [2015] O.J. No. 5646, 2015 ONSC 4154, 27 C.C.E.L. (4th) 161 (S.C.J.), affd [2017] O.J. No. 1185, 2017 ONCA 203, 37 C.C.E.L. (4th) 1) or that the work atmosphere be conducive to the well-being of its employees (Stamos v. Annuity Research & Marketing Service Ltd., [2002] O.J. No. 1865, 18 C.C.E.L. (3d) 117 (S.C.J.)). The trial judge could have approached his task by considering whether there was a similar implied term in the appellant’s contract and a sufficiently serious breach to constitute constructive dismissal.简而言之,在劳动合同关系中,雇主有以文明、体面、尊重和尊严对待雇员的默示义务,也有提供有利于雇员福祉的工作环境义务。
7.在Keays v. Honda Canada Inc., 2005 CanLII 8730 (ON SC)中,原告因病休假,在返岗之后,被告不但没有为原告恢复工作提供方便,反而设置各种障碍。最后被告以原告不服从指令,与被告安排的医生见面而解雇了原告。法官判决非法解雇成立,并且情节恶劣,判决被告给予原告50万加币的惩罚性赔偿性赔偿。
8.在本案中,被告依据安省民事诉讼程序规则 Rules of Civil Procedure 第21.01条,动议法官以简易判决(summary judgement)直接驳回原告起诉:
21.01 (1) A party may move before a judge,
…
(b) to strike out a pleading on the ground that it discloses no reasonable cause of action or defence,
and the judge may make an order or grant judgment accordingly.
(2) No evidence is admissible on a motion,
…
(b) under clause (1)(b).
(3) A defendant may move before a judge to have an action stayed or dismissed on the ground that,
(a) the court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter of the action;
…
and the judge may make an order or grant judgment accordingly.
类似于大统华现在申请小额法庭直接驳回送菜哥的动议。大统华的这个动议,目前正在等待法庭确定hearing的时间。
9.对于原告的这一动议,法官是这么说的:
The test under rule 21.01 (1)(b) is, assuming that the facts as stated in the statement of claim can be proved, whether it is plain and obvious that the statement of claim discloses no reasonable cause of action. The court is not to consider the length and complexity of the issues, the novelty of the cause of action, nor the potential for the defendant to have a strong defence. It is only if the action is certain to fail because it contains a “radical defect” should it be struck (see: Hunt v. Carey Canada Inc., 1990 CanLII 90 (SCC), [1990] 2 S.C.R. 959, [1990] S.C.J. No. 93 and Reynolds v. Kingston (Police Services Board), 2007 ONCA 166 (CanLII)). 也就是说,要直接驳回原告的起诉,要在假定起诉状中所陈述的事实都是真的情况下,起诉的主张都缺乏合理的法律依据。法院不应当考虑争议是不是复杂、诉讼会不会需要很长时间、诉讼主张是否很奇葩,也不需要考虑被告是不是有合理的抗辩理由。只有原告的诉求根本没有任何胜诉的可能性,法院才能够直接驳回。
The facts pleaded should be assumed to be true unless they are patently ridiculous or manifestly incapable of proof. If the claim has some chance of success, it should be permitted to proceed (Beaudoin Estate v. Campbellford Memorial Hospital, 2021 ONCA 57 (CanLII) at para. 14).所陈述的事实应假定为真实,除非这些事实明显荒谬或明显无法证明。如果诉讼有一定的成功机会,则应允许其继续进行。
10.被告在本案中的动议,不满足这一条件,因此,该等动议予以驳回。并且判决被告承担原告因为此次动议支付的费用7500加币,法官要求被告立即向原告支付。
11.关于驳回动议这个理由,对送菜哥很有利,回头给法院的意见还要修改一下。hearing送菜哥要请翻译,一小时一百多加币,不便宜,回头也要给法官说,如果侥幸驳回大统华的动议,翻译的钱,也要大统华出。
反正,大统华有钱,它请的律师,至少每小时三四百加币吧(瞎猜的),送菜哥的翻译,一小时一百多加币,也不需要大统华的管理层出,大家都无所谓,送菜哥也无所谓。