Rami Levy faces class-action lawsuit over wage deductions from supermarket cashiers

The Jerusalem Regional Labor Court approved a class-action lawsuit against Rami Levy, brought by two former cashiers over wage deductions totaling NIS 303.20 for register shortages. The case now covers cashiers across the chain, challenging the company's practice of deducting money from wages for unproven shortages.

The Jerusalem Regional Labor Court on Tuesday approved a class-action lawsuit against Rami Levy, brought by two former cashiers who challenged wage deductions totaling NIS 303.20 for register shortages. The ruling transforms a dispute over small deductions into a case representing cashiers across the nationwide chain. The court found the workers had a reasonable chance of winning and that a class action was the best way to hear the case. The case covers Rami Levy cashiers from seven years before the 2023 filing. The court found the company imposed a system of 'absolute responsibility,' under which cashiers could be required to cover shortages even when their cause could not be identified. It also raised doubts about whether workers freely consented to the deductions, noting that signing the company's procedures was part of being hired and that deduction forms were sometimes presented under pressure. The court did not rule that workers can never be held responsible for lost money, but said an employer cannot decide on its own that a disputed shortage is the worker's debt and deduct it from pay. Rami Levy must file its defense within 30 days and was ordered to pay NIS 25,000 in legal fees and NIS 4,000 in expenses to each of the two cashiers.