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Terminations Over Facebook Comments Upheld
British Columbia’s Labour Relations Board recently ruled that two unionized employees terminated from their positions at a car dealership were properly dismissed after they posted numerous defamatory comments about their employer, including allegations of illegal and fraudulent acts, on their Facebook pages.
The Board found that the employees had no expectation of privacy in their Facebook postings, and that the comments made were damaging to their employer’s business. Because the employees’ “audience” of Facebook friends included employees, posting the impugned comments was tantamount to having made them on the shop floor. The employees in question did not admit to having posted the comments, which were quickly deleted. This further dishonesty compounded the initial misconduct and was a material factor in the Board’s decision to uphold the termination.
For additional information, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/Firing-Over-Facebook-Comments