H
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e knew it was coming long before it
happened. He felt he was being treated differently. He thought there was some
kind of conspiracy brewing with his superiors to get rid of
him. He was the scapegoat for problems with production.
I listened with a grain of salt.
Back then everyone was out to get him. If it wasn't the people at work, it was
the the guy driving behind him, the girl at the Tim Horton's drive thru, the neighbours, his sister, my family, the kids or me.
I didn't really believe they were
trying to get rid of him. It just did't make any sense. There was no paper
trail of reprimands. He was knowledgeable and a senior employee. He was able to
get his crew to complete work that his predecessors couldn't do. He
was a valuable member of the team and it would be hard to replace someone with
his experience and knowledge.
Well, they called it
restructuring within the organization. Sales were down. They had to cut costs.
No hard feelings.
He was furious. There were so many
other employees who had been there for less time. He trained many of them the
procedures at this site because he brought his experience with him from the
previous site. He wrote the procedural manual for crying out loud. Why was he
being walked out the door?
It was a vendetta. That guy
didn't like him because Gary stood up for himself and his crew. And that
guy didn't want someone who was a thinker who tried to make improvements; he
just wanted a "yes" man or maybe a mini-me to do his bidding.
I think they got rid of him because
he wasn't able to perform at the same level as before.
I guess we will never really know
the truth. But it's out there. Isn't it?
Wrongful Dismissal
A
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s time
passed my husband became more furious. He was consumed by it. He
was obsessing about it. We talked about it. Restructuring? What
a feeble attempt to cover up a wrongful dismissal
So
he went to a lawyer who took his case. This lawyer didn't want a retainer and he
would wait for payment until the settlement cheque came in. A dream come true
right? It was for my husband. Even when the lawyer said he wanted twenty five
percent, or was it thirty percent of the net, the dream remained because this meant
someone else believed him.
I'll
just cut to the chase. If only we knew then what we know now. I don't
believe in regrets. There is a reason for the things which happen to us and it
has made us who we are today. And hopefully we have learned from those
experiences. But this lawyer? This lawyer did not have my husband's best
interest at heart.
If Only We Knew Then
I
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t
seemed to take forever for the negotiations to be over. We thought it was
because the lawyer was trying to get as much as he could. After all the more he
obtained for my husband, the more he would receive.
By
the time the government took their share, and the lawyer got his share, my
husband got a few thousand dollars. That just did not seem right to me. After
five years of service? There should have been more especially at his pay rate.
And then to pour salt into the wound, E.I. clawed it back so we weren't any
further ahead.
Clawed
back. A term I just learned. While on E.I. benefits you have to claim all
income and they will reduce your benefit amount. Well, as soon as the cheque
came in for the wrongful dismissal, E.I. informed Gary that he had been
overpaid and now owed the government a few thousand dollars.
If
only we knew then what we know now. My husband could have gotten a lot more
money. And there should have been a way to prevent the clawed back.
Maybe
my husband was right. Everyone is out to get him. And take advantage of him.
