Labour Lawyer for Employers in Ontario and British Columbia

A labour lawyer advises and represents employers on all aspects of collective labour relations. This includes advising on union organizing campaigns, representing employers in certification and decertification proceedings before labour boards, assisting with collective bargaining preparation and negotiations, managing grievances and representing employers in arbitration, defending unfair labour practice complaints, and advising on strikes, lockouts, and work stoppages.

Achkar Law's labour lawyers serve employers across Ontario and British Columbia, providing both strategic day-to-day labour relations advice and experienced representation in labour board proceedings and arbitrations.

Labour law governs collective relationships between employers and unions, including collective bargaining, grievances, arbitration, union certification, and unfair labour practices. Employment law governs individual relationships between employers and employees, including termination, severance, employment contracts, and workplace harassment.

In Ontario, labour law is primarily governed by the Labour Relations Act, 1995 and administered by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. In BC, the BC Labour Relations Code and the BC Labour Relations Board apply. Both provinces have separate employment standards legislation that governs individual employee rights.

Employers should contact a labour lawyer as early as possible when dealing with any union-related matter. This includes when organizing activity is first detected at your workplace, when a union files for certification, before beginning collective bargaining, when a grievance is filed that could have broad implications, when an unfair labour practice complaint is received, and when a strike or lockout appears possible.

In labour law, early advice is particularly important because decisions made in the early stages of an organizing campaign or bargaining process can have long-term consequences that are difficult to reverse. Getting strategic advice before you act, rather than after, is always the right approach.

An unfair labour practice is conduct by an employer or union that violates the rights protected under labour relations legislation. For employers, common unfair labour practice allegations include interfering with union organizing, threatening or coercing employees in the exercise of their rights, discriminating against employees for union activity, and failing to bargain in good faith.

In Ontario, unfair labour practice complaints are filed with and adjudicated by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. In BC, the BC Labour Relations Board has jurisdiction. Unfair labour practice findings can result in orders to reinstate employees, compensate for losses, and cease and desist from prohibited conduct. Achkar Law's labour lawyers defend employers against these allegations in both provinces.

Not every grievance requires formal legal representation, but employers should assess each grievance carefully and engage a labour lawyer for any grievance that involves a significant precedent, a complex legal issue, or that is likely to proceed to arbitration. Grievance arbitration is a formal quasi-judicial process, and decisions of arbitrators are binding and can set precedents that apply across the bargaining unit.

Achkar Law's labour lawyers advise Ontario and BC employers on grievance management strategy, help develop responses at each step of the grievance procedure, and represent employers in arbitration hearings when matters cannot be resolved at earlier stages.

Yes. Achkar Law's labour lawyers advise and represent employers in both Ontario and British Columbia. We have experience before the Ontario Labour Relations Board and the BC Labour Relations Board, and we understand the distinct rules and procedures that apply in each province. For employers operating in both provinces, we provide coordinated labour law advice that accounts for the differences between Ontario and BC labour relations frameworks.