MONTREAL - Hundreds of workers at call centres in Laval and Trois-Rivieres got a nasty surprise Friday when the company they worked for suddenly shut down operations.
The workers were laid off without notice and told they would not be getting their final paycheques.
They were told to gather their personal belongings and leave the premises.
The U.S.-based IQT Solutions also closed its centre in Oshawa, Ontario.
Of those losing their jobs, 450 were employed in Laval, 140 in Trois-Rivieres, Que., and 600 in Oshawa.
Outside the Laval call centre, laid-off employees expressed anger and sadness Friday after learning of the closing.
"I don't feel very happy, because obviously I have a family to feed and a house to pay for," one worker told CTV Montreal's Cindy Sherwin.
Labour laws generally require employers to give two weeks' notice of a layoff and a minimum of four per cent of salary earned in the last year, generally considered vacation pay.
The Trois-Rivieres centre was setting up a union before the closure.
IQT Solutions provides customer service, sales and technical support services to companies in North America and Europe. It had operated three centres in Canada before Friday.
The company is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn., where it announced in June it would bring 900 jobs during the next five years.
with files from The Canadian Press
