Harassment And Workplace Violence: What Recent Case Law Teaches Us

Sexual Violence—A First Ruling on the Subject!

Summary

Through a landmark decision in which, thanks to various injunctions, an employer was able to protect its employees from the problematic behaviour of a former employee, the authors explore the new concept of “sexual violence” as well as the new obligation of employers to protect their employees from any form of third-party harassment, both of which were introduced in 2024 in the Act respecting labour standards.

INTRODUCTION

In fall 2024, a large company operating in the food sector achieved a major legal victory in protecting the health and safety of its employees.¹ Thanks to a permanent injunction, it was able to protect its workers from, among other things, sexual violence perpetrated by a former employee.