Woman says she had a difficult first trimester of pregnancy, which affected her work

Management at the store claim there were serious issues with the woman's performance

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A woman claims she was fired as the manager of a health food store in Vancouver because she was pregnant. The case is now going before the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

The claim filed by Dasha Mikhailytcheva says she began working with Bonvita Health in June, 2016 as a manager and became pregnant that fall. She was fired in January, 2017 and claims her pregnancy was factor in her termination.

Management at the store claim there were serious issues with her performance, including approving a wage increase for another employee without their consent.

Mikhailytcheva says she had a difficult first trimester of pregnancy, which affected her work. A doctor’s note said she was “unable to work at full capacity due to pregnancy-related complications, including nausea, vomiting and fatigue.”

The employer says he believed her when she said she wasn’t feeling well and “her health and the health of her unborn baby were first and foremost.”

Mikhailytcheva also claims she spoke with her boss in December, 2016 and during that conversation, he suggested that if she couldn’t keep up with her duties she should consider stepping down.

The employer claims Mikhailytcheva made that conversation up.

The allegations have not been proven.

Bonvita had applied to have the claim from Mikhailytcheva thrown out, but that was denied.