Khaira Enterprises Must Pay $600,000 To “Discriminated” Tree Planters
VANCOUVER –A South Asian company embroiled in a human rights case of discriminatory treatment of African tree planters have lost the case and now must pay $600,000.
The BC Human Rights Tribunal has ruled the operators of a tree-planting business Khaira Enterprises Ltd. discriminated against African workers and has ordered the employer to pay more than $600,000 in damages.
But it will be tough for the victims to recover the monies from owners who lost their lumber contracts with the BC government.
Tribunal member Norman Trerise says in his 114-page ruling that the owners of Khaira Enterprises Ltd. taunted and harassed the 55 workers with racial slurs and had a blatant disregard for employment standards, reported Canadian Press
Trerise ruled all the workers experienced some form of adverse treatment from their employers, including lack of payment, hours of work, poor camp condition and other issues.
The tree planters worked in a camp in Golden in 2010, until it was shut down by the provincial Ministry of Forests, when the planters complained to ministry staff that they hadn’t had anything to eat for two days.
The ruling said that the case was clear, there were open racial taunts and payment of wages was drawn along racial lines.
The tribunal has ordered the company to pay each worker $10,000 for injury to their dignity and self-respect, plus $1,000 for every 30-day period each worked between March 17, 2010 and June 17, 2010.
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