EMployment law
Protecting Employee Rights and Employer Interests in British Columbia
Experienced Employment Lawyer Serving Langley and British Columbia
Employment relationships form a critical part of our lives, and when workplace disputes arise, you need clear legal guidance to protect your rights. At Vickram Sidhu Law Corporation, we represent both employees and employers in employment law matters throughout British Columbia, providing strategic advice grounded in current employment standards legislation, common law, and human rights principles.
SERVICES
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If you've been terminated from your employment, understanding your rights is essential. In British Columbia, employees dismissed without cause are entitled to reasonable notice or pay in lieu of notice. The statutory minimums under the BC Employment Standards Act represent only the floor—common law often requires significantly more notice depending on factors like your age, length of service, position, and availability of similar employment.
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Before signing any severance agreement or release, you should have legal advice. Severance packages often contain problematic provisions that limit your rights, and employers rarely offer their best settlement initially. We review severance packages to ensure they provide fair compensation reflecting your common law entitlements, identify problematic release language that may be overly broad or unfair, explain tax implications and payment structures (salary continuance vs. lump sum), negotiate improved terms including extended benefits coverage, and advise on your options if the offer is inadequate.
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Employment contracts significantly impact your rights if termination occurs. We review employment agreements before you sign to identify unfair termination clauses that may limit your notice entitlement below common law standards, problematic non-competition or non-solicitation restrictions that may unreasonably limit your future employment, inadequate compensation or benefit terms, intellectual property assignment clauses that may be overly broad, and other concerning provisions that could disadvantage you.
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BC's Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination and harassment based on protected grounds including race, color, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and age. We assist employees facing discrimination or harassment by investigating and documenting incidents, filing complaints with the BC Human Rights Tribunal, pursuing civil remedies for harassment and wrongful dismissal related to discrimination, and addressing workplace bullying that violates WorkSafeBC requirements.
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Constructive dismissal occurs when an employer fundamentally changes your employment conditions without your agreement—effectively forcing you to resign or accept unacceptable changes. Changes that may constitute constructive dismissal include significant reduction in compensation (salary, bonuses, or benefits), demotion or substantial change in job responsibilities, changes to work location requiring unreasonable commuting, toxic work environment created or tolerated by the employer, or other fundamental breaches of employment terms.
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The BC Employment Standards Act establishes minimum standards for wages, overtime, vacation, statutory holidays, leaves of absence, and other employment terms. We assist with unpaid wages or overtime claims, vacation pay disputes, statutory holiday pay issues, unauthorized deductions from wages, failure to provide proper written notice or pay in lieu on termination, and other employment standards violations.