VANCOUVER, Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ - The Supreme Court of British Columbiahas denied a petition by Mexico to quash documentary evidence and
testimony that corroborates that the Mexican government blacklisted
Mexican migrant workers from returning to Canada because they were
suspected of being union sympathizers. The evidence had been presented
in 2012, to the BC Labour Relations Board (BCLRB) by UFCW Canada (the
United Food and Commercial Workers Canada union) Local 1518.
The BCLRB hearings were stopped in March 2013, awaiting the hearing of
Mexico's petition. The petition argued that because Mexico has
sovereign immunity, the BCLRB should not have been allowed to receive
and consider testimony from former consular officials, along with
leaked consular documents and other Mexico files and documentary
evidence that overwhelmingly pointed to blacklisting activity.
By striking down the petition, the case and all the evidence now return
to the BCLRB.
"Mexico may be immune from sanctions, but the BC Supreme Court decision
makes it clear that Mexico can't use sovereign immunity to hide the
facts from the labour board," says Ivan Limpright, President of UFCW
Canada Local 1518. "The evidence presented to the labour board pointed
to blacklisting and collusion between Mexico and the farm where our
members work. We are encouraged that the ruling brings the workers
closer to justice by opening the way for the labour board to judge what
really happened."
Mexico has 30 days to decide whether to appeal today's decision to a
higher court, "but the legal stalling by Mexico and the employers will
not change the evidence," says Paul Meinema, the National President of
UFCW Canada. "The workers know the truth and so does Mexico. Stop the
blacklisting and let the labour board finish its business and deliver
its decision."
For more background and court documents see www.ufcw.ca/blacklist.
UFCW Canada is the country's leading private-sector union, with more
than 250,000 members from coast to coast. In association with the
Agriculture Workers Alliance (AWA), UFCW Canada operates AWA
agriculture worker support centres across Canada, including AWA centres
in Abbottsford, Surrey and Kelowna, BC.
SOURCE UFCW Canada - National Office
