N.S., N.B Walmart Workers Receive Early Bonus Payments Of More Than $6-Million
HALIFAX – Walmart Canada has announced that it will be paying out annual bonuses of more than $6-million early this year to help its employees in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will amount to nearly $100 million in bonus payouts across Canada, including $3,752,302 to Nova Scotia employees and $2,556,367 in New Brunswick, says the vice-president of operations for eastern Canada.
“Our associates are the frontline to everything we do; they’re the most important resource we have,” said Tom Flaim in an interview with Huddle. “In the moment of time, for our staff, it’s the right thing to do.”
Employees who have been with Walmart for at least a year and 500 work hours are eligible for these bonuses. An employee’s bonus amount is determined on their store’s success from the previous year. Under normal circumstances, according to Flaim, these bonuses would be paid out in mid-April.
Walmart Canada has also increased wages by two dollars per hour between April 3- April 30 and has given employees a 20 percent discount on Walmart products.
The retail chain is in a hiring frenzy across Canada. According to Flaim, Walmart is looking to hire 10,000 more people nationally, including for stores in Atlantic Canada.
“We are aggressively hiring… we are promoting the availability of opportunity in our stores,” said Flaim.
“For every store in Atlantic Canada… our number one priority is to hire.”
Flaim says they have implemented safety measures to keep employees and customers safe from COVID-19 exposure. Stores now have arrows along the aisles to keep customers moving in the same direction; plexiglass has been installed at the cash registers and other areas, and protective gear is used where possible.
“Is it perfect? Absolutely not, it’s the new normal for everybody,” said Flaim.
“I feel extraordinarily proud of what our (employees) have done, and our customers – they’re helping us along the way.”