Lawyer: compensation for Czech Wal-Mart workers "could take years"
Last week we reported that possibly thousands of Czechs, former illegal employees of the US retailer Wal-Mart, can sue their former employer for compensation. Former Wal-Mart's cleaning staff from many countries are joining a class action lawsuit against the retailer, claiming they were denied basic rights and labour protection.
"As far as we know, right now it is about twenty to thirty claimants. But we are expecting there will be more coming."
Do you think that the estimate that Mr Linsey made, that there are as many as 10,000 Czechs who worked illegally for Wal-Mart, is realistic?
"Well, it's just an estimate, not reality. Because I would say that not all people who worked for Wal-Mart in the US will raise this claim. So we really cannot say how many how many people were or are working there."
If you win the case, will there be any compensation for the former employees?
"Well, that's the reason of the complaint and the class action, of course."
Can you give an estimate?
"Well, yes. It could be in thousands or tens of thousands of dollars."
For each claimant?
"For each, yes."
Is there any danger for the plaintiffs if they now have to admit they have worked illegally in the United States? Do they face any consequences, such as not being admitted to the United States or not getting a visa, etc.?
"Well, we are in contact with people who are back from the US. So there is no danger for them, no."
But what if they want to come back to the United States, ask for a visa, work there, study there, is there any danger for them?
"At the moment we cannot foresee any danger of this nature."
I see. One last question, when can we expect the proceedings to start?
"Well, the complaint and the class action were already filed at the end of last year in New Jersey. We cannot make any estimation when it will be finished. It will not, of course, be in weeks or months."
So rather years...
"It will be years, of course."
That was lawyer Filip Hruska speaking there to Pavla Horakova. Former Wal-Mart employees started contacting Mr Hruska after a Czech commercial TV channel reported on the case earlier this month. Many of them did so through a specially designed multilingual website that calls on all present and former cleaning staff at Wal-Mart to join others in the class action. The condition is that in the past three years, the potential plaintiffs were made to work over 40 hours a week without overtime pay, they were denied a minimum wage, social security or were exploited because of their immigration status.
