A Quebec judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against the federal government related to the troubled Phoenix pay system.
The suit alleges some employees were paid too much before being forced to reimburse the difference, while some others were not paid at all or did not receive the proper remuneration.
Lawyers are seeking a base amount of $500 for all those admissible to join the lawsuit and additional sums for certain of the workers.
The lead plaintiff is Ezmie Bouchard, who worked at Passport Canada between January and August 2016.
She alleges several mistakes were made on her pay and that when she left she was owed $4,800. The court document states Bouchard ended up receiving $1,000 too much and had to pay it back.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Jean-Francois Emond's ruling does not apply to all employees affected by the Phoenix fiasco and a lawyer who is acting on behalf of Bouchard says he believes between 40,000 and 70,000 people could be eligible to join the lawsuit.
