Singapore: Six current and former female pharmaceutical sales professionals working with Daiichi Sankyo, US, have filed a $100 million class and collective action gender discrimination lawsuit against the firm in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.

Represented by Sanford Heisler, a civil rights law firm that has successfully litigated class action cases in the industry, the women seek to end pervasive gender discrimination in their workplace on behalf of themselves and a class of several hundred female Daiichi Sankyo sales professionals, who have worked for the company in the US.

The complaint alleges that Daiichi Sankyo pays female sales employees less than male employees for doing the same work; promotes or advances female sales employees at a slower rate than male sales employees; treats pregnant employees and working mothers of young children adversely as compared to non-pregnant employees, male employees, or non-caregivers; and subjects women to other discriminatory terms and conditions of employment.

According to the complaint, a discrete group of predominantly male Daiichi executives and senior sales managers keep a tight rein on employment decisions, including decisions regarding sales employees' compensation, advancement, and other terms and conditions of employment. Through this male dominated leadership structure, the company has approved and implemented policies, practices and decisions that have systemically discriminated against female employees.

The Plaintiffs cite Daiichi Sankyo's violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the federal Equal Pay Act of 1963, as well as the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Equal Pay Act and the California Unfair Business Practices Act in today's complaint.