Proposed Sinopec lawsuit highlights risk of underpaying workers on overtime

Monique Jilesen was interviewed by the Globe & Mail in their article “Proposed Sinopec lawsuit highlights risk of underpaying workers on overtime”. In this article, Monique discusses the class action lawsuits that could arise from the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Outside of overtime class actions, the COVID-19 pandemic could spur a range of other lawsuits related to employment, said Monique Jilesen, a partner at litigation law firm Lenczner Slaght whose practice focuses on class actions. Class-action claims could relate to unsafe working conditions, mass layoffs, or involuntary reductions in pay or working hours.

“You could anticipate that any number of issues would come up, in part because decisions have had to be made by employers everywhere very quickly,” Ms. Jilesen says. “And it’s possible in those circumstances that they weren’t strictly in compliance with the law, even if everything was done in good faith.”