Cox & Palmer’s Employment & Labour Law Team provides expert legal and strategic advice to Employers in the private and public sectors throughout Atlantic Canada. We work with both unionized and non-unionized Employers, and act as counsel before all levels of courts and tribunals. We are regularly consulted on the drafting, interpretation and enforcement of employment contracts and related agreements. We conduct collective bargaining negotiations, advise Employers on contract administration issues and provide representation in arbitrations. We regularly advise Employers on their rights and obligations in termination of employment situations.
Our Employment and Labour lawyers work closely with our Corporate & Commercial lawyers to provide strategic advice on employment and labour issues in corporate mergers and acquisitions in all sectors of the economy, as well as in corporate downsizing and insolvency situations.
We maintain a pro-active, results-oriented approach in all our labour and employment work. We maintain a high level of availability to our clients. Early intervention, combined with a thorough and ongoing knowledge of our clients’ operations, permits us to offer timely advice which will minimize or avoid workplace complications.
To ensure our clients are best equipped to deal with changing workplace laws and legal requirements, we are dedicated to keeping you current and informed of legislative changes and case law developments that may affect your workplace. We maintain regular client contact, regularly host topical seminars and provide e-newsletters, to better enable you to effectively manage or avoid workplace issues.
Our employment and labour law services include:
- Advice to clients with respect to reorganization, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions
- Advice on the application of common law and legislative employment principles
- Representation in wrongful dismissal cases
- Advice on and representation in Human Rights matters, including the duty to accommodate, sick leave and family status issues
- Drafting and reviewing executive employment contracts, compensation packages and severance agreements
- Drafting and enforcement of non-competition/solicitation and confidentiality agreements
- Advice on the hiring of foreign workers
- Advice on all workplace safety matters, including Workers Compensation and Occupational Health and Safety
- Advice on issues relating to pension plan administration, statutory compliance, plan termination, plan splits and mergers
- Drafting workplace policies
- Conducting workplace investigations and advising Employer’s in the conduct of a proper investigation
- Review of severance packages and advice on tax/EI consequences
- Advice on pay equity
- Advice on remaining union-free
- Collective Agreement bargaining and interpretation and administration of Collective Agreements, including the negotiation of multi-trade labour agreements for large build commercial and industrial construction projects
- Advice on labour disruptions and appropriate Employer response
- Representation of employers at grievance arbitrations and/or mediations
- Advice and negotiation of settlement agreements
- Advice on management rights
- Advice to employers on the union certification process and representation in applications for certification/decertification
- Representation at Labour Boards and Tribunals, including Labour Standards