Add Comment Question: I am in the franchise restaurant business and I hired a General Manager in March of 2015. Unfortunately as the months past I found it harder and harder to meet our rent, payroll and other expenses. By January of 2016 I had to let our General manager go because I could no longer afford his salary. He was quite aware of my struggles as he was very involved in the administration of the business. I regretfully and respectfully explain to him that we had to let him go because I could no longer afford his salary. I contacted my head office and informed them of the termination and instructed them to pay him out what ever he was owed. He was only entitled to one week.....I gave him two weeks in lieu of. I spoke to him again in August of that year and a corporate function and again apologized that things didn't work out and he said that he totally understood. Fourteen months after I terminated him I was served with papers that he had filed a claim that he wanted to be compensated for the four month salary he lost while looking for another position. As fate would have it I had just completed a routine labour inspection and had the labour reps card handy so I called to find out if I owed him something more. They assured me that he was not entitled to anything more than what we already paid out to him and that I should not be concerned. Three months after that I was served with papers again that he had filed a claim with the courts and I had 20 to respond. Once again I called the ministry of labour and they assured me once again that I had nothing to worry about. He claims that he was wrongfully dismissed which was not the case. I just couldn't afford to keep him on. Does he have a case??? What about my rights? It was a matter of survival...keeping my doors open! Please help! Answer: My name is Lumi Pungea and I am an employment lawyer. In response to your question, the Ministry of Labour provides information about an employee's minimum, not full, entitlements. In your case, the employee in question has the right to compensation at common law unless he signed a contract that limited his termination entitlements. The four months claimed in the court documents would be compensation at common law. You may owe this employee more than the two weeks you gave him and now that you have been sued you need a lawyer to guide you through the process. You should not rely on the Ministry of Labour for legal advice. I specialize in this area of law so please contact me at 416-216-5906 at your earliest convenience. If you don't file a defence on time you may be noted in default so time is of the essence. Your Comment * Your Email * Your Name * Your City Note, your name, city and email is not displayed on the website. It is used to notify you that we have approved your comment.