Speeding + Not Wearing Seatbelt Justify Truck Driver’s Firing

A worker driving 96 km per hour in a 65 km per hour zone over an icy curve without wearing a seat belt lost control of her truck and suffered injuries that kept her out of work for 6 months. Miffed by the increased insurance premiums and $110,000 in losses resulting from the accident, the employer refused to take her back when she healed. The worker claimed unjust dismissal but the federal arbitrator ruled that the employer had just cause to fire her for violating its safe driving policies. The worker’s ‘gross negligence’ fatally undermined the employer’s trust in her as a driver, it concluded [Samantha R. c OSI Transportation Inc., 2019 CanLII 83517 (CA SA), September 9, 2019].