Former ServiCom employees owed pay, province says

Employees of the ServiCom call centre in Sydney, N.S., are owed pay, according to Nova Scotia's Department of Labour and Advanced Education.

ServiCom closed suddenly in December, leaving nearly 600 employees out of work.

Affected employees can expect to receive notice some time this week explaining the outcome of the department's investigation into the sudden closure of the call centre, as well as the amount of money they're owed.

The department said it will do everything it can to recover the wages owed, outstanding vacation pay and pay in lieu of notice of termination.

Employees could recover up to $6,600 each

In a news release issued Tuesday, Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan, speaking on behalf of the labour minister, said initiating a Canadian bankruptcy proceeding is the best course of action.

Under the federal program, each employee may be eligible to recover up to a maximum of $6,600 each.

The department said initiating the bankruptcy process will not affect Marlowe Companies Inc., the U.S.-based company that took over the call centre n January.

​It's now called The Sydney Call Centre, and many ServiCom employees were able to get jobs there.

If a bankruptcy order is made by the court, a trustee will be appointed and will assist employees in accessing the wage earner protection program.

The federal government will determine what pay claims qualify for the program and how much each claimant may receive, the department said.

If former employees don't receive correspondence by March 12, the department says they can email labourstandards.servicom@novascotia.ca or call 902-424-8127 with the following information by March 15:

• Full name.
• Current mailing address.
• Phone number.
• Dates worked for ServiCom.
• ServiCom employee ID # (if available).