AHS facing class-action lawsuit alleging workplace standards violations since 2013
CTV
Alberta Health Services is being sued by a group of staff that claim the agency violated provincial employment standards for nearly a decade.
Alberta Health Services is being sued by a group of staff that claim the agency violated provincial employment standards for nearly a decade.
Clinical assistants (CAs) and clinical surgical assistants (CSAs) in the province say AHS has been overworking and underpaying them since 2013.
Clinical assistants, as defined by AHS, work with physicians to provide "acute care coverage" in a variety of medical settings. For CSA's, this includes surgical assistance and pre- and post-operative care.
Kahane Law Office has filed a class action lawsuit against AHS on behalf of hundreds of those workers.
The group is seeking $125 million in damages, claiming AHS violated the Employee Standards Code regarding overtime payments, rest periods and 12-hour work shift lengths.
"Since joining Alberta Health Services in 2017, I’ve routinely worked shifts lasting up to 24 hours, including during weekends and holidays," said Mena Salamh, a plaintiff in the suit. "What we are seeking is proper compensation for the time we have already worked."
The lawsuit claims AHS also failed to provide legislated breaks and violated overtime pay rules.
