Laid-off Sears Canada workers say the hardship fund set up to help them is pointless because any payout counts as income, so it's deducted from their employment insurance benefits. To help make ends meet, she applied for the hardship fund to cover the cost of expensive medications needed for her family. Former Sears worker Rosa D’Alessandro says people are afraid to apply for the hardship fund because it will reduce their EI benefits. But the laid-off Sears inventory analyst from Toronto decided that applying for the hardship fund is a waste of time. And unless the rules change, many laid-off workers will continue to see the hardship fund as just another hardship for them as the retailer struggles for survival.

Source: CBC News October 08, 2017 09:00 UTC