UMVA has learned that nearly four dozen former Bell employees are taking the company's parent, BCE, to court, accusing them of wrongfully firing them as part of a larger round of cost-cutting measures.
The 46 employees are seeking a combined total of $6 million in damages, with individual claims ranging from $18,000 to $350,000, depending on salary and years of service. A majority of the complainants are based in the Greater Toronto Area.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the ex-employees claim they were among those terminated with "cause," but argue that the firings were actually driven by economic considerations and formed part of a coordinated mass layoff. They say Bell's actions were motivated by a desire to cut costs, not enforce its code of conduct.
In May, Bell claimed it fired a small number of employees who had engaged in what they called "swipe and go" behavior — an act where employees use their badges to enter the building to meet in-office attendance requirements, then immediately leave. However, the lawsuit alleges that this behavior was previously tolerated by the company.
The lawsuit notes the timing of the employee terminations, alleging that the firings happened as a Bell hiring freeze was in place, and the company was making cuts elsewhere, including a recent announcement of cutting 700 jobs as part of its three-year growth plan. This raises questions about whether the terminations were truly about enforcing the company's code of conduct.
Bell has 20 days to file a formal response to the lawsuit. The company had claimed that internal investigations were thorough and that any managers found approving the attendance workarounds were fired as well. However, the ex-employees' lawsuit argues that there was a more coordinated effort going on behind the scenes.
