WestJet questioned about termination of employees on long-term disability

[43S/172E]

Taken from PPRuNe and what ever happened to taking care of your employees who are sick?


http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/westjet-quest ... -1.3641066

Published Friday, October 20, 2017 7:06AM MDT
Last Updated Friday, October 20, 2017 9:22AM MDT
Calgary-based WestJet has issued pink slips to over two dozen workers but there are concerns about who lost their jobs and how they were notified.
The employees, some on long-term disability, were told last week that they’d been fired. Some of those workers were surprised by the bad news in an e-mail.
The airline says that due to privacy rules, it can’t speak on employee details but adds that the decision was based on medical evidence that indicated that the workers would never be able to return to work in any capacity.
As for the method that the workers were notified, WestJet said:
WestJet’s preference is always to have face-to-face discussions with employees and we make every effort to do so but depending on circumstances, these discussions may not always be possible.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees says that if the WestJetters were unionized, they would have had more support to keep their jobs.
“We would have met with the employer; we would have had some discussion about what alternatives can happen rather than laying off disabled employees. That would not be something we would want to have happen,” said Vicky O’Dell with CUPE.
CUPE represents 650,000 members including 11,500 flight attendants across the country. It is eager to represent WestJet workers and encourages them to sign their union cards.
WestJet pilots voted to unionize under the Air Line Pilots Association in May.

[JBI]

I don't know the individual situations here. It may be that WestJet has done something inappropriate. However, what usually happens in cases where there is long term disability, be it through Workers' Compensation or Long Term Disability, is that after a reasonable amount of time for an injury or health issue to settle, it will be considered whether the worker is able to return to their original job (as an aside, I have seen a number of persons on disability from WestJet offered modified duties or positions).

If not, it will then be looked at whether they can return to any job. If it is determined that they are not able to return to any job at the company, they will be given either a lump sum or monthly payment from either the insurance company or Worker's Compensation and terminated as employees from the company.

Generally speaking, workers who are injured or disabled are not kicked to the curb with nothing (as seems to be suggested by this article), they are given a severance package determined through insurance or workers compensation though they then technically are terminated and become for employees. Again, generally speaking, this would be the same whether they were unionized or not.

So, while I don't know the specifics about these situations, a company isn't expected to keep an employee on payroll who has been medically determined to no longer be able to work. But it's not like they are sent away with nothing.

[Dry Guy]

How can you lose your job if you're the owner?

[twinpratts]

Didn't I see something on the news about a Hollywood executive to this effect? (He's probably wondering the same thing as you!).

[brooks]

Talk about stirring the pot over some non-pilot employees.