Novartis Faces $100 Million Discrimination Suit
Twelve current and former female employees of the U.S. unit of drug giant Novartis AG have filed a sex-discrimination lawsuit against the company in federal court -- seeking damages and back pay totaling $100 million -- that accuses Novartis of having a "systematic pattern" of discrimination against women.
In a statement, lawyers for the plaintiffs said the suit was filed yesterday in federal court in Manhattan, New York. The suit alleges discrimination in pay, promotions, training, evaluations and disciplinary practices. The plaintiffs are all current and former sales representatives for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., a unit of Novartis of Switzerland.
The suit accuses the company of subjecting women to a hostile work environment, including exposing them to harassment and intimidation and "sexist and racist jokes and comments." The lawsuit also alleges that male supervisors violated Novartis policies by contacting female employees and giving them work while on family, medical and maternity leave.
Novartis said it strongly disagreed with the allegations and would defend itself "vigorously" in court. Novartis "is deeply committed to equal employment opportunity for all employees, and is proud of its policies and programs designed to support the advancement of women in the sales force and throughout the company," the company said in a statement. "In fact, the company has been publicly recognized for its track record of advancing women within the company and for establishing an inclusive environment that is supportive of the career goals of all of our employees."
A Novartis spokeswoman said that Working Mother magazine has named Novartis one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" for the past six years. According to the magazine, 40% of Novartis's top earners and 31% of its executives are women. New mothers who have worked for Novartis for at least a year get 18 weeks of job-guaranteed leave, with six weeks fully paid. Mothers also have access to flexible work options, including job-sharing, flextime and compressed work weeks. Novartis confirmed those details.
But the plaintiffs' lawyers said Novartis's commitment to gender equality is skin deep. "Although the language of their policies suggests that Novartis supports working mothers, Novartis's employment practices say exactly the opposite," David Sanford, an attorney at the law firm Sanford, Wittels & Heisler, said in a statement. "As soon as a woman indicates that she's planning to become a mother, her male supervisors start pushing her toward the exit."
According to the suit, several of the plaintiffs and "numerous other female employees" have complained to Novartis management and human resources about gender discrimination and a hostile work environment. The suit claims Novartis's investigations into these complaints have been inadequate.
The plaintiffs are seeking $100 million in back pay and punitive damages to "prevent and deter Novartis from engaging in similar discriminatory practices in the future."
诺华制药因歧视女性员工遭巨额索赔
制药业巨头诺华制药公司(Novartis AG)美国子公司的12位现任和前任女性员工在美国联邦法院针对该公司提起诉讼，指控诺华歧视女性员工，并寻求总额1亿美元的索赔及未付薪金。
原告律师在声明中称，起诉人昨日在纽约曼哈顿联邦法院提起诉讼。原告指控诺华制药子公司在薪酬、晋升、培训、评估、奖罚措施方面歧视女性员工。这些起诉人为诺华制药美国子公司Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.现任或前任销售代表。
起诉人指控该公司使得女性员工处于不利的工作环境，包括遭到骚扰、恐吓，听到性别和种族歧视方面的笑话及评论。
诉讼还称，该公司的男性监管职员在女性职员病假、产假时还进行联系及交付工作，违反了公司的规定。
