In North American labor law, being placed on "unpaid leave" means you have been fired from your job.
It means your contract of employment, either written, or unwritten, is now terminated.
It has the same meaning as similar such terms like "permanent layoff," for example.
It doesn't matter what the employer calls it, or how the employer tries to define it, or even if the employer thinks you are not fired.
In the eyes of the law it all has the same meaning. Your contract of employment is now null and void.
Even without a written contract of employment, or a union contract, every employee is still considered to have an unwritten, or implied contract, not unlike a verbal contract, which includes various items, such as statutory benefits like public holidays, maximum work hours per week, etc.
So every job is a contract, even if there is no contract.
Employers use terms such as "unpaid leave" in hopes that you will not then act legally on your termination.
If your job is worth any decent money at all, you should consult a lawyer who specializes in termination. It is often well worth your while, and especially more so if the employer has acted illegally, or in bad faith. Let the lawyer explore those possibilities.
.
In North American labor law, being placed on "unpaid leave" means you have been fired from your job.
It means your contract of employment, either written, or unwritten, is now terminated.
It has the same meaning as similar such terms like "permanent layoff," for example.
It doesn't matter what the employer calls it, or how the employer tries to define it, or even if the employer thinks you are not fired.
In the eyes of the law it all has the same meaning. Your contract of employment is now null and void.
Even without a written contract of employment, or a union contract, every employee is still considered to have an unwritten, or implied contract, not unlike a verbal contract, which includes various items, such as statutory benefits like public holidays, maximum work hours per week, etc.
So every job is a contract, even if there is no contract.
Employers use terms such as "unpaid leave" in hopes that you will not then act legally on your termination.
If your job is worth any decent money at all, you should consult a lawyer who specializes in termination. It is often well worth your while, and especially more so if the employer has acted illegally, or in bad faith. Let the lawyer explore those possibilities.
.
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