Article 11.03 of our Collective Agreement states “The Company reserves the sole right to make any decisions with respect to the discharge, discipline or retention of an employee during this probationary period”. This generally means that probationary employees can be terminated without the employer having to establish a “just cause” for their dismissal.
There are limits to this right, however, and although an employer may terminate a unionized probationary employee for less than “just cause,” there are still limits on terminations in these scenarios. For example, a unionized probationary employee must not be terminated in an arbitrary or discriminatory fashion nor can the employee be terminated in bad faith. If you are a probationary employee and have questions about this feel free to reach out to your Local Office.