Rights commission rejects worker complaint
VANCOUVER - The Canadian Human Rights Commission has rejected a complaint filed by a temporary foreign worker hired at a B.C. coal mine against the union seeking to block foreign workers.
The complaint filed in December by one of 17 temporary workers says allegations by the United Steelworkers about their wages and working conditions at the HD Mining project near Tumbler Ridge, B.C., were likely to create contempt for Chinese people.
The letter, written in English on company letterhead, accused the union of hate crimes.
The decision was not immediately available, but the union says the commission found that the complaint did not meet the threshold for a case under the Human Rights Act.
The United Steelworkers union is asking the Federal Court for a judicial review of the decision granting HD Mining permits for more than 200 temporary foreign workers, arguing that the company is offering wages and benefits below standards for jobs that could be filled by Canadians.
Union director Stephen Hunt says the Steelworkers will continue with its court action.
