Workers will put in extra two-and-a-half hours without extra pay
About 1,000 CGI employees in Ontario and Quebec will be working longer weeks as the information technology firm tries to increase its global competitiveness.
As of Oct. 11, full-time employees will work an extra two-and-a-half hours a week, for a total of 40 hours, but won't receive any extra compensation.
This change will mean about 3,000 of CGI's 16,000 Canadian employees will be working 40 hours.
Atlantic Canada workers already work 40 hours because of overseas contracts. About 40 per cent of the 26,000 employees in the United States also work a 40-hour week.
The change will allow Montreal-based CGI to better compete for new business against competitors such as IBM where employees already work a 40-hour week, said a CGI spokesman.
The added hours, without added compensation, is allowed for under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, which stipulates full-time employees must be paid a fixed salary but that their hours of work can vary, said CGI.
