A Toronto employment lawyer is alleging that the Hudson’s Bay Company short-changed more than 90 employees on severance benefits, one day after the retailer asked the workers to accept a 25 per cent pay cut as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. “HBC is seeking to avoid paying fair severance packages that are legally owed to these individuals during these difficult times,” said Lior Samfiru, partner with Toronto-based Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, an employment law firm.
Samfiru says 94 employees working in management and administration roles in the Greater Toronto area are affected. Some who consulted the law firm were given a severance deadline of Friday, April 24, he said.