OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada agreed Thursday to settle an epic pay-equity dispute involving women employed at Canada Post, which has persisted for more than a quarter of a century.
Without giving reasons, the court granted leave to appeal to the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Canadian Human Rights Commission, who are challenging earlier court rulings that overturned a $150-million pay-equity award, stemming from a 1983 union complaint against the post office.
The union says that women were being discriminated against under the Canadian Human Rights Act because they made less than men working in jobs of equal value.
A 2005 human-rights tribunal sided with the employees, but the decision was overturned by the Federal Court in 2008 and the Federal Court of Appeal earlier this year.
In his 2008 judgment, Justice Michael Kelen concluded there was little evidence of wage discrimination based on gender.
Canada Post had argued that the wage disparity was due to different bargaining practices by different unions representing workers.
The union initially sought $300 million for some 6,000 women, but the human rights tribunal awarded $150 million.
Read more: http://www.canada.com/business/Canada+Post+equity+dispute+before+Supreme+Court/3987326/story.html#ixzz19O148g3v
