A recent grievance dismissal has shown that time theft is an issue that’s being taken seriously by courts and tribunals – and technology is only making it easier for employers to prove just cause.
The case in point was a grievance filed by the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 130 on behalf of an elevator mechanic who had been terminated with cause for time theft; although the data to prove the time theft wasn’t conclusive, it was enough, along with other circumstantial evidence, for the arbitrator to dismiss the grievance.
“What was really interesting about this decision was the lack of direct evidence,” says Dominique Perinchief, associate employment lawyer with Cox & Palmer in Halifax.
