SOGESCO clarifies form issued to bus drivers, not a lay off notice

SOGESCO clarifies form issued to bus drivers, not a lay off notice

The parent company of local bus operators, SOGESCO, responded this morning to a request from CHIP 101.9 to clarify a record of employment form issued to unionized bus drivers yesterday, which set off a series of social media posts claiming bus drivers were being laid off. Mylène Forget, a public relations specialist representing the company wrote in an email that issuing a record of employment after a work stoppage is an obligation under the Employment Insurance Act.

“Employers are required to issue a record of employment (ROE) to each employee who receives insurable earnings, and who ceases to work and therefore has a break in receiving earnings,” she wrote. “The employer must complete the ROE even if the employee does not intend to claim EI benefits. When an employee has had or is anticipated to have 7 consecutive calendar days with no work and no insurable earnings from the employer, an interruption of earnings occurs. This situation is called the 7-day rule. The employer must provide the reasons for issuing the record of employment in Box 16. When the employee is on strike or locked out, the employer must indicate: Code B – strike or lockout.”