Bank of Nova Scotia is the subject of a lawsuit alleging unpaid overtime, with workers claiming $350 million in compensation.
Thousands of staff, including those who are no longer with the bank are launching the class action lawsuit against Scotiabank. They are led by Cindy Fulawka, who has worked at Scotiabank for 15 years.
Workers claim that their workloads were too large to finish within the working day and should be regarded as overtime, citing the Canada Labour Code.
Fulawka claims that staff were forced to meet sales goals in their own time, and if year-end targets were not met, employees could be made redundant.
However, Scotiabank maintains that its overtime policy was compatible the Canada Labour Code. “We remain committed to treating our employees with respect and to fostering a positive work environment,” says the bank in a statement.
This is the second recent claim against a major Canadian bank, after lawyers launched a $600 million lawsuit also regarding overtime against Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in June 2007.
Scotiabank’s shares did not seem to be affected by the news, however, rising 22 cents to $52.32 following the reports.