Pattern of Harassment & Bullying Justified Worker’s Firing

After a city investigated a complaint that a worker had harassed and bullied a co-worker and others in the workplace, it fired him. The union argued that although the worker’s conduct was inappropriate, it didn’t warrant termination. The arbitrator noted that the city had properly and thoroughly investigated the complaints. The evidence showed that the worker engaged in a pattern of disrespectful behaviour toward his co-workers and manager that was confrontational, humiliating, threatening and deserved discipline. Management tried to counsel the worker to changes his ways before firing him. But he didn’t change and, in fact, didn’t accept that his conduct was inappropriate. So the arbitrator concluded that progressive discipline wouldn’t be appropriate here and his termination was justified [Saskatoon (City) v. Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 47, [2012] CanLII 12086 (SK LA), March 8, 2012].