Trashing Supervisor on Facebook Is Just Cause to Terminate

‘[Name is an] a*****. . . The less we see your face, the better we are. Besides, I don’t think you make a big difference in the mine. You bring nothing, you are only an expense. So guys, beware of the guy.’ A mine worker got fired for posting these comments about his supervisor on his Facebook page. The worker admitted that the remarks were disrespectful, harmed the supervisor’s reputation and violated the employer’s Code of Civility but contended he was just blowing off stream after a frustrating incident that had happened in the mine that day in which the supervisor issued a warning to other workers for leaving their shift early. The rumor was that the whole crew would get hit with a warning as well and the worker just ‘blew his boat.’ But the Qu‚bec arbitrator was less than impressed and tossed the grievance. ‘Impulsiveness’ is no defence for disrespectful and uncivil behaviour, he concluded [Unifor, Section Locale 666 c Niobec Inc., 2020 CanLII 96028 (QC SAT), December 7, 2020].