Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.G.A. § 207) provides, so far as here material, that an employer in interstate commerce shall not “employ any of his employees . . . for a workweek longer than forty hours . . . unless such employee receives compensation for his employment in excess of the hours above specified at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate at which he is employed. ’ ’ (Italics added.) Subdivision (b) of section 16 of the act (29 U.S.G.A. § 216) states; “Any employer who violates the provisions of section ... 7 .. . shall be liable to the employee or employees affected in the amount of their unpaid minimum wages, or their unpaid overtime compensation, as the case may be, and in an additional equal amount as liquidated damages. Action to recover such liability may be maintained in any court of competent jurisdiction . . . The court in such action shall, in addition to any judgment *442awarded to the plaintiff or plaintiffs, allow a reasonable attorney’s fee to be paid by the defendant, and costs of the action.”