Latin American workers receive thousands in back wages

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – About five years after they earned their salaries building Metro Vancouver’s Canada Line, a group of Latin American workers is finally receiving tens-of-thousands of dollars in back wages.

Unions representing the roughly three dozen, mostly Costa Rican workers, say a settlement has been reached with the Canada Line builders.

The deal follows a Human Rights Tribunal ruling that found the workers were discriminated against because they were paid about half as much as European workers hired to perform the same jobs.

The multi-million dollar tribunal ruling was issued in 2008, but the employer fought it in court before finally agreeing to a negotiated settlement — with details of that pact due to be released tomorrow.