Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Rights cases show plethora of abuses

By: Bruce Owen

Posted: 11/29/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

SHE thought she was going to get a promotion, but her married boss had other plans.

That was one of the 366 files opened by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission in 2011, its recently released annual report states.

In this case, the woman -- no details are given to identify her or her boss -- had agreed to meet with the man on several occasions outside the workplace to talk about her career. But when he called her to a hotel suite, she soon learned his concern for her had more to do with sex than work.

She removed herself from his touching and sexual remarks, then quit her job and told his wife what had happened.

She also went to the commission, but her complaint was resolved before it hit the formal complaint stage.

The woman was paid $5,000 in lost wages and counselling costs and received an apology. The boss also agreed to bring in a harassment-free policy in his workplace.

A further 83 complaints were settled through mediation, the report says.

That includes the case of a Muslim woman who complained she was called a "terrorist" at her workplace and accused of taking sick days because of her religion.

Through mediation, she was paid $3,000 in damages. Cases not settled through mediation were investigated by an eight-person team. In 2011, investigators were assigned 147 formal complaints, with 136 going before the commission. The average length of an investigation was 8.2 months.

Of the complaints that were closed in 2011, 128 were dismissed by the board as having either insufficient evidence or the complaint was found to be frivolous or vexatious.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 29, 2012 A13

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.