Union leaders are calling it one of the largest human rights awards in Canadian history. Several temporary foreign workers, who helped build the Canada Line, have won their discrimination case.
A settlement worth 1.25-million dollars was awarded after the BC Human Rights Tribunal found Seli Canada and SNC Lavalin treated 36 employees unfairly. Union leaders say it's been five years in the making and serves as a warning for other companies seeking out foreigners as a source of cheap labour. The workers from Costa Rica and other Latin American countries were being paid less than minimum wage. The Tribunal ruled the employers discriminated against them in 2008, but the money wasn't paid out until now.