HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-1581.Damani.00-07-07 Decision
o NTARW EMPU) YES DE LA cOURONNE
CROW"! EMPLOYEES DE L DNTARW
GRIEVANCE COMMISSION DE
. . SETTLEMENT REGLEMENT
BOARD DES GRIEFS
180 DUNDAS STREET WEST SUITE 600 TORONTO ON M5G 128 TELEPHONElTELEPHONE, (416) 326-1388
180 RUE DUNDAS OUEST BUREAU 600 TORONTO (ON) M5G 128 FACSIMILElTELECOPIE. (416) 326-1396
GSB # 1581/95 1703/98
OPSEU # 95E434 99B132
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
Under
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN
Ontano PublIc ServIce Emplovees Uruon
(Damani)
GIievor
- and -
The Crown III RIght of Ontano
(Mirusm of Health)
Employer
BEFORE Owen V Gra, Vice Chair
FOR THE Peggy Srmth
GRIEVOR Counsel
ElIot Srmth
Bamsters & SolICItors
FOR THE Roslvn BaIchoo
EMPLOYER Counsel
Legal SerVIces Branch
Management Board Secretanat
HEARING December 6 1999
March 24 2000
Ma, 23 2000
DECISION
[1] ThIs decIsIOn concerns two gnevances me dated June 30 1995 and August
24 1997 In them, the gnevor complams of havmg been demed trammg and
promotIOnal opportumtIes In her opemng statement, umon counsel saId that m
so far as the 1997 gnevance refers to competItIOn HL-37 2878 97 thIS IS not a
complamt that that competItIOn was conducted Improperly but, rather that the
gnevor was dIsadvantaged m that and other Job competItIOns because she had
earher been demed secondments, temporary assIgnments and other Job opportu
mtIes that were not the subJect of competItIOns The gnevor says that those de
mals constItuted dIscnmmatIOn on the basIs of race and umon actIvIty contrary
to ArtIcle A of the collectIve agreement m force pnor to March 31 1996 and ArtI
cle 3 of the collectIve agreement m force from and after that date By way of
remedy she asks that the employer be ordered to appomt her to a full tIme pOSI
tIon that takes mto account her quahficatIOns and abIhtIes, and that It be or
dered to pay compensatIOn for a 3 month penod m 1995 when she was away
from work on sIck leave
The Particulars
[2] After the hearmg had commenced and the gnevor had begun testIfymg, I
ordered that the umon provIde partIculars of the facts on whIch It and the
gnevor rehed to demonstrate the dIscnmmatIOn alleged The order reqUIred that
The umon shall provIde employer counsel wIth wntten partIculars of the
facts that It and the gnevor say demonstrate the elIscnmmatIOn alleged.
~\th respect to each act or omISSIOn alleged, the umon s partIculars shall ill
elIcate what was done or not done, when, where bv what means and bv
whom. The umon shall also provIde partIculars wIth respect to the gnevor s '3
month sIck leave m 1995 and the connectIOn between It and the alleged elIs-
cnmmatIOn. The umon shall also provIde employer counsel wIth copIes of all
documents on whIch It and the gnevor mtend to rely m these proceedmgs
2
that have not alreadv been produced to the emplover m connectIOn wIth these
gnevances, mcludmg anv mechcal report relIed upon m connectIOn wIth the
claIm for compensatIOn.
The order also reqUIred that the employer provIde partIculars, and provIded that
A partv who falls to produce a document or provIde partIculars of an allega
tIon m accordance wIth thIS order mav be precluded from mtroducmg that
document or testImonv about that allegatIOn mto eVlClence.
[3] By letter dated February 9 2000 umon counsel dehvered the followmg
partIculars (paragraph numbermg IS as m the ongmal)
Ms. Damam gneves that she has been chscnmmated agamst and demed
trammg opportumtIes afforded to other emplovees She further gneves that
she was unJustlv demed competItIOn HL37287S-97 and other promotIOnal
opportumtIes and trammg whIch has adverselv affected her health and her
career The umon alleges that the chscnmmatIOn IS on the basIs of race and
unIOn actIvIt V
In partIcular the umon wIll be relvmg upon the followmg facts and docu
ments:
(1) The emplover was aware of Ms. Damam s mterest m obtammg a posItIon
whIch used her skIlls and expenence She competed for manv Job opportum
tIes, and was encouraged bv the emplover wIth respect to her efforts and un
derlvmg abIlItIes. (See exhIbIts 3 4, 7 8)
(2) Ms. Damam has been submlttmg letters of reference to the emplover smce
1991 m support of her effort to obtam a better posItIon. (EXhIbIts 12 13, 14,
18)
(2) DespIte her efforts, Ms. Damam chd not obtam a posItIon. It IS the umon s
posItIon that that chscnmmatIOn plaved a role m her faIlure
(3) Durmg thIS tIme, vacanCIes were filled bv the emplover bv temporarv
staff. (EXhIbIt 6) ThIs practIce was noted bv an mvestIgator mto the gnevor s
harassment complamts m a letter dated Januarv 19 1994 (exhIbIt 11) It was
to be revIewed bv management and the outcome conveved to the emplovee.
ThIs never happened.
(4) The emplover was also dIrected to do a detaIled performance appraIsal,
whIch was to mclude a trammg/educatIOn plan and set clear expectatIOns of
developmental goals and how thev mIght be achIeved (exhIbIt 10) ThIs never
happened.
(5) As earlv as 1993 the emplover was aware that the gnevor was suffermg
from mental stress and health related problems as a result of alleged har
assment at the workplace (ExhIbIt 5 and 11) DespIte thIS knowledge man
agement chd nothmg to accommodate the emplovee
(6) There were no chscussIOns held as promIsed to assIst the gnevor m devel
opmg an appropnate plan or the necessarv skIlls to obtam a posItIon m the
publIc sector
3
(7) The gnevor contmued to suffer from stress and her phYSICIan provIded
the employer wIth meehcal documentatIOn outlmmg her concerns about the
hIgh level of stress the gnevor was workmg under (ExhIbIts 16 and 17) The
employer took no actIOn.
(8) The gnevor IS a umon actIvIst and has sat on the provmclal commIttee for
human nghts. ~nIle workmg m a temporary assIgnment m 1999 the gnevor
was requested to stop the transfer of ()PSEU faxes from her work statIOn. At
no tIme ehd the gnevor ever request or arrange to have ()PSEU faxes sent to
her The gnevor alleges that she was smgled out for nehcule on the basIs of
her race and unIOn actIvIty
(9) In November 1997 the gnevor applIed for the posItIon of AdmmlstratIve
Secretary (postmg HL-3 725 9D/97) (attached applIcatIOn) The gnevor was
gIVen an mtervlew but was unsuccessful. At a subsequent meetmg wIth the
employer she was advIsed that her problems were the way you answered
questIOns, the usual thmgs The gnevor has never been advIsed or coun
selled wIth respect to an lClentIfied weakness wIth respect to the mterVIew
process.
(10) The gnevor contmues to be affected bv the ongomg harassment and ehs-
cnmmatIOn she faces at the workplace Attached IS a COPy of her current
meehcal assessment.
In adehtIOn to the exhIbIts referred to above we enclose all adehtIOnal docu
ments whIch wIll be relIed upon at the hearmg These adehtIOnal documents
have been ehvlCled mto two categones (1) other Job applIcatIOns whIch wIll
be submItted to support our posItIon that the gnevor has actIvely searched
for alternatIve posItIons, and (2) other documents whIch wIll be relIed upon
to establIsh both the employer s knowledge of the gnevor s concerns and the
faIlure to act upon them. In partIcular I address your attentIOn to the docu
ment lIstmg the employees IdentIfied as sIttmg m temporary or other a'
rangements whIle such opportumtIes were consIstently demed to the gnevor
Fmallv please note that the gnevor wIll testIfy to the fact that she faced dav
to dav harassment from her co-workers, and m partIcular Barbara Margeson.
The order reqUIrmg the delIvery of partIculars was made before the gnevor's
cross-exammatIOn was complete When the hearmg resumed the umon was al
lowed to and dId re-open the gnevor's testImony m chIef
[4] As regards the testImony that the gnevor gave pnor my makmg the order
I have not consIdered any assertIOns that are unrelated to any of the allegatIOns
set out m the partIculars For example durmg that testImony the gnevor saId
that she had been "harassed by people m the office tellIng me what to do bemg
supenor watchmg me how long I am on lunch, complammg She dId not say
who had done thIS, nor were the occaSIOns IdentIfied The order for partIculars
clearly reqUIred that an allegatIOn of thIS kmd be partIculanzed by IdentIfymg
4
the occaSIOns, descnbmg what was done and nammg the people saId to have
done It The partIculars named only Barbara Margeson. The gnevor dId not men
tIon Ms. Margeson m her testImony eIther before or after the partIculars were
delIvered so the adequacy of the partIculars of the allegatIOn agamst her dId not
come mto Issue Counsel for the employer exercIsed admIrable restramt m that
and other respects durmg the hearmg of these gnevances I do want It to be
clear however that I dId not and do not consIder the partIculars of the allega
tIon agamst Ms Margeson an adequate or appropnate response to my order
When partIculars are reqUIred It IS not enough to say that someone engaged m
harassment - detaIls of the conduct SaId to constItute harassment must be pro
vIded
The Evidence
[5] The gnevor began wIth the MmIstry of Health m 1976 as an OAG 6 Her
posItIOn was upgraded to OAG 8 m the course of a reorgamzatIOn m 1989 Her
current home posItIOn IS AdmmIstratIve Secretary PopulatIOn Health Umt,
PublIc Health Branch.
[6] In May 1993 the gnevor was mformed that she was not the successful
candIdate for a 3 month temporary assIgnment as a Grants Clerk. In June 1993
the gnevor was mformed that she was not the successful candIdate for an M
mmIstratIve Secretary posItIOn m the InstItutIOnal Health dIvIsIOn. The gnevor
testIfied that "they brought someone they knew from another department, that
she thought she was the qualIfied candIdate "but I dId not have a fnend who
was a manager The gnevor dId not file a gnevance wIth respect to the conduct
or outcome of that competItIOn.
[7] The gnevor testIfied that she had started gomg to her doctor m March
1993 because of stress In October 1993 her doctor wrote as follows to the DIrec
tor of the gnevor's Branch (ExhibIt 5)
Mrs. Damalll has been my patIent SInce 1985 She has always enjoyed good
mental and- physIcal health.
5
About two months ago she started to experIence stress secondary to harass-
ment at work. She trIed to gather herself after her VISIt m August 1993
However I understand the sItuatIOn m her work enVIronment gets worse and
she IS currently under my care and IS takmg mechcatIOn.
She has always been very stable As her famIly phYSICIan, I request your
co-operatIOn m adJustmg her work enVIronment that It would be beneficIal for
her health and thus mcrease her performance
Please contact me If you feel necessary
ThIS letter was tendered only as eVIdence of what the employer had been told
and not as eVIdence of the truth of ItS contents
[8] Ms. Damam stated that the harassment referred to m the doctor's letter
was not the two Job competItIOns but her entIre work sItuatIOn, her work enVI
ronment Asked by umon counsel to say what m partIcular had been happemng
m that regard she testIfied m a general way that a lot of tImes posItIOns were
not advertIsed, and GO Temps would be brought m to fill them She saId she had
complamed to her DIrector and to the Deputy MmIster about thIS, and that the
PresIdent of the Local had corresponded wIth management about It as well. An
e mall sent by the Local Umon PresIdent on March 16 1994 was mtroduced (Ex
hIbIt 6) m thIS connectIOn. It complamed of Improper use of temporary workers
and faIlure to follow the reqUIrements of the collectIve agreement wIth respect to
the postmg and fillmg of vacanCIes, among other thmgs It argued that prefer
ence should be gIven or postmgs should be restncted to classIfied staff, because
trammg or developmental opportumtIes had been assIgned to GO Temp or un
classIfied staff classIfied staff and classIfied staff "loose out on competItIOns be
cause they aren t provIded wIth staff development I am told that some or all of
the allegatIOns m that memo later became the subJect of a umon gnevance that
had not been resolved by the tIme these gnevances first came on for hearmg
[9] In response to the doctor's allegatIOn that the gnevor was a vIctIm of har
assment, the employer launched an mvestIgatIOn. The mvestIgator JessIca HIll,
reported as follows on January 19 1994 (ExhibIt 11)
I have mvestIgated the letter from Yasmm Damalll's famIly phYSICIan alleg
mg harassment m the workplace
6
I have not found any eVIdence to substantIate harassment on any of the
grounds m the Human RIghts Code.
However I do recommend that there be attentIOn gIVen to Improve manage-
ment's responsIbIlItIes for settmg performance standards and carrvmg out
proper performance management processes. I recommend that the Human
Resources Branch develop an actIOn plan wIth management and subse
quentlv convey to the employee changes m the performance management
process.
As well a major concern of Yasmm has been the hIstoncal patterns m whIch,
the processes for fillmg vacanCIes WIth temporary staff have taken place I
would recommend that the practIces be revIewed wIth the Human Resources
Branch and the outcome conveyed to the employee
Both of these areas should be addressed wIthm the next month.
So far as the gnevor IS aware management dId not act on the recommendatIOns
contamed m the last three paragraphs of thIS report
[10] In late 1994 the gnevor applIed for a ProJect Coordmator posItIOn m the
X Ray InspectIOn ServIce of the MmIstry She was not the successful candIdate
She testIfied that "a temporary person was hIred The Umon does not suggest
that the temporary person was not the most qualIfied candIdate
[11] The gnevor contmued to be concerned about, and to complam about, the
way Job opportumtIes were bemg allocated by management In June 1995 she
wrote as follows to the DIrector of her branch.
RE MEETING (IF JUNE 2 1995
I wIsh to thank you for meetmg wIth me on June 2, 1995 at your request re-
gardmg mv sItuatIOn m the Branch.
After outlmmg mv problem to you, you made some comments and offered
some suggestIOns whIch I thmk could be helpful.
There were several opportumtIes whIch were gIVen to selected mchvlCluals bv
retrammg them and gIVmg them extra dutIes to perform m order to Improve
theIr marketable skIlls and to make the mchvlClual appear attractIve m theIr
Job specIficatIOns. Also theIr Job tItles were changed and dutIes taIlored to re-
flect chfferentlv from theIr ongmal Job reqUIrements.
Another Issue that came out for chscussIOn was; In prevIOus years there were
temporary assIgnments whIch were duratIOn of approx. 2 months whIch have
contmued up untIl 2 years. PrevIOusly I mentIOned that I was mterested m
these assIgnments but was told at that tIme that they were only for two to
three weeks but that turned out not to be the case. You admItted that thIS
was a mIstake but after all I was bypassed and lost out on both gamed expe-
7
nence and salary ThIs IS only one example of numerous assIgnments that
was treated In the same unfaIr manner
Durmg the last 4 years I have notIced thIS happenmg tIme and tIme agam
and have allowed It to bypass me as I felt that by ment alone I would be
gIVen the opportunIty to be recognIzed for my hard work, patIence and perse
verance. Smce I have been bypassed m many occaSIOns I now feel I should
VOIce my chssatIsfactIOn that I have been unjustly treated. By talkmg wIth
you I hoped that some reasonable redress would come about whereby I could
benefit.
I accepted your mVItatIOn to chscuss these Issues because I felt that you could
be gIVen the opportunIty to JustIfy and even explam why I am so badly
treated. But even thIS seems too much to be expected from you.
I also raIsed the questIOn as to why I never got a response from ~rendy Hans-
son regardmg the posItIon of AdmmIstratIve AssIstant. You had mentIOned
that you would look mto thIS matter for me and respond. To date nothmg
You also mformed me of two upcommg posItIons. I shall be preparmg myself
for them.
Human Resources expectatIOns was another area chscussed but they seem to
be maccessIble whenever I try to reach them by phone or Emml. I seem
never to get a favourable response. You suggested that you were there to a,,-
SISt me m developmg my marketable skIlls m computer mtervIewmg skIlls
and further trammg
I would lIke to let you know that although you made some suggestIOns whIch
I wIll be followmg up on, I am stIll not satIsfied that anythmg was achIeved
at all.
Less than a week of our meetmg other CIrcumstances have changed whIch
needs to be addressed m a definItIve manner
ThIs partIcular sItuatIOn IS chstressmg to me as It smacks qUIte clearly of fa
vountIsm wIthm the branch and thIS perceptIOn needs to be cleared up to my
satIsfactIOn. Two to three years ago when I applIed for Jobs wIthm the DIVl
SIOn, they were offered to other employees from other branches who were
much lower m classIficatIOn than mme but the only excuse I was gIVen was
that they won the competItIOn.
Most temporary staff are hIred wIthout all the necessary skIlls but are
tramed and eqUIpped to fill the hIgher posItIons.
I keep wondermg what has become of the notIon of mternal trammg and
promotIOn based on ment mstead of contmually hIrmg temporary staff to fill
the hIgher posItIons whIch permanent staff can fill wIth mInImal trammg
and backfill wIth temporary staff m the lower posItIons.
I look forward to a prompt reply
I have reproduced thIS memo m full because It IS IllustratIve of the specIficIty
wIth whIch, for the most part, she explamed her complamts durmg her testI
mony before me
8
[12] On June 30 1995 the gnevor filed the first of the two gnevances now be
fore me At the second stage of the gnevance process, the Deputy MmIster's
desIgnate answered the gnevance as follows (ExhIbIt 10)
ThIS IS to confirm the Stage 2 meetmg whIch was convened at your request
on Thursday September 28 1995 m accordance wIth ArtIcle 27 '3 '3 of the
CollectIve Agreement.
As the Deputy MmIster's desIgnate, I have revIewed the CIrcumstances sur
roundmg the gnevance whIch alleged that you "have been chscnmmated
agamst contrary but not exclusIVe to ArtIcle "A of the CollectIve Agreement
and have been denIed trammg opportunItIes afforded to other employees."
I have noted your concerns and offer the followmg comments
I recognIze that workload often mhIbIts the abIlIty to practIce the computer
skIlls whIch you have acqUIred and can only suggest that you arrange to go to
the Help Centre as often as necessary to bUIld confidence m your skIll base
They can not only provIde you wIth one-on-one assIstance but can also lend
you books and vIdeos that wIll enhance the trammg you have already :re-
ceIved.
As well, I would lIke to encourage you to contmue to pursue formal develop-
mental opportunItIes as they become avaIlable and recommend that you ce-
velop together wIth your manager a plan of actIOn that wIll assIst you m
achIevmg your goals. ThIs mIght mclude the settmg aSIde of specIfic tImes for
VISItS to the Help Centre and should be followed through.
Further confidence mIght also be obtamed through meetmg wIth someone m
the Human Resources Branch who could assIst you m strengthenmg your ill
terVlew skIlls.
After careful conslCleratIOn of all the Issues raIsed, I would further dIrect
Management to do a detaIled Performance AppraIsal whIch wIll mclude a
Trammg/EducatIOn Plan and set clear expectatIOns on the type of work <E-
sIgnments (developmental) that you are mterested m and that Management
should assIst you m achIevmg them.
I belIeve that the course of actIOn I have outlmed above wIll help resolve your
concerns. Therefore, at thIS tIme, I wIll deny your gnevance
The gnevance was not settled Management dId not thereafter perform a per
formance appraIsal or do any of the other thmgs suggested m the penultImate
paragraph of thIS answer The gnevor testIfied that the employer's faIlure to
conduct performance appraIsals created a "pOIsoned enVIronment for her IE
cause there was no way to prove to the employer that she knew her Job and If she
was makmg mIstakes or needed Improvement she could not find that out
9
[13] The gnevor testIfied that some tIme after the doctor's letter of October
1993 her doctor told her to stay home and that she decIded to take three months
off after the HIll report was put together At a later pomt m her testImony she
tendered two further notes from her doctor (ExhibIts 16 and 17) One a hand
wntten note dated October 6 1995 says
(lff work from (let 2/95 for 1 week. To return to work on (let. 10/95 Ms. Da
manI remaIns under treatment.
The next, a typewntten note dated February 8 1996 says
I am the famIly phYSICIan of Mrs. Damalll for eleven years
She has undergone tremendous stress from 1993 wIth multIple somatIc
symptoms Durmg the summer of 1995 she was under a lot of stress, that I
advIsed her to take total rest whIch she evetually [SIC] lIstened and took off
from July 28 1995 to (lctober G 1995 and also saw a pSYChIatrIst
It IS not apparent what prompted the preparatIOn of the typewntten note There
IS no eVIdence that the employer was asked to do anythmg m response to eIther
of these notes It IS not apparent that the CIrcumstances called for any response
by the employer beyond ItS treatmg the absences referred to as absences due to
Illness
[14] CompetItIOn HL-37 287S 97 was for the posItIOn of secretary to Dr
Momca Naus The gnevor applIed and was mtervIewed for the posItIOn, but was
not the successful candIdate She spoke afterwards to Dr Naus who told her
that she was not selected because of the way she answered questIOns and IE
cause someone more qualIfied had applIed As I have noted the umon does not
say that the successful candIdate was not the most qualIfied
[15] The gnevor's assertIOn that she IS a umon actIvIst IS not dIsputed The
employer acknowledges that whIle the gnevor was workmg m a temporary as
sIgnment m 1999 OPSEU faxes penodIcally arnved at a fax machme near the
work statIOn at whIch she performed that assIgnment Faxes from OPSEU wIth
out any named addressee contmued to arnve at that fax machme after the
10
gnevor's assIgnment ended and she no longer worked m the area Bye maIl, the
manager wrote to the gnevor
It would be apprecIated If you could arrange to have ()PSEU faxes trans-
ferred to your fax machme and personal Items removed [SIC] the work statIOn.
The gnevor responded by e maIl as follows
Good mornmg Geoff:
Geoff m the first place I had never arranged to have OPSEU faxes trans-
ferred to your fax machme when I started workmg m your area Feb 1/99
Infact, when I started there, I was seekmg [SIC] faxes sIttmg m the slot where
the fax machme IS.
I would apprecIate m future not to be blamed for somethmg that I have ar
ranged to have ()PSEU faxes arrIve at that partIcular fax machme
I wIll certamly clear all my personal Items from the workstatIOn.
Thank you and have a nIce day
One of the examples that the gnevor gave durmg her exammatIOn m chIef of
harassment she had suffered was that she had been "harassed by the employer
saymg faxes were commg for me on thIS occaSIOn. The e maIl from Geoff appears
to have been the only commumcatIOn from management to the gnevor on the
subJect of these faxes
[16] The gnevor's partIculars refer to a "document lIstmg the employees Iden
tIfied as sIttmg m temporary or other arrangements whIle such opportumtIes
were consIstently demed to the gnevor In ItS partIculars, the employer pro
vIded detaIls of the employment of most of those named m the document NeIther
document constItutes eVIdence of the allegatIOns m It In the hearmg, the umon
offered no eVIdence wIth respect to the employment of the mdIvIduals on the lIst
If the gnevor's testImony touched on any of these mdIvIduals, It dId so wIthout
mentIOnmg the employee s name or detaIls of the assIgnment sufficIent to con
nect It WIth the partIculars
11
Decision
[17] I accept as a general matter that raCIsm "IS out there as the gnevor put
It at one pomt I agree wIth umon counsel s submIssIOn that raCIsm IS often la
tent, m the sense that those whose conduct IS mfluenced by racIst attItudes may
not openly acknowledge It It IS not necessary for the umon to prove that dIs
cnmmatIOn on the basIs of race was the sole or even a maJor reason for employer
conduct detnmental to the gnevor If dIscnmmatIOn on the basIs of race played
any part m the employer's treatment of the gnevor then It breached the collec
tIve agreement prOVISIOn that prohibIted such dIscnmmatIOn. The presence and
effect of racIst attItudes may be dIfficult to detect and prove It does not follow
and the umon does not suggest, that proof IS therefore unnecessary or that the
mere allegatIOn of racIal dIscnmmatIOn shIfts the burden of dIsprovmg the alle
gatIon to those accused of It The same may be SaId about antI umon ammus and
dIscnmmatIOn on the basIs of umon actIvIty
[18] The gnevor says she cannot understand why she has not advanced m the
CIVIl serVIce unless It IS because she IS the vIctIm of dIscnmmatIOn on the basIs of
her race or umon actIvIty or both. Her subJectIve belIef that she IS the vIctIm of
dIscnmmatIOn, however strong, IS not proof that she IS ThIS would be so even m
the absence of eVIdence that she IS mclmed to exaggeratIOn m labellmg her expe
nences In that regard, I should say that m my VIew the manager's e maIl quoted
m paragraph [15] above dId not constItute "harassment m any obJectIve sense of
that word LIkeWIse the employer's faIlure to conduct performance reVIews,
whatever else may be SaId about It, cannot be SaId to have created a "pOIsoned
work enVIronment as that phrase IS ordmanly used and understood
[19] A good deal of umon counsel s argument focused on two admItted facts
that management dId not do as Ms HIll recommended m her 1994 report and
dId not conduct a performance reVIew as "dIrected by the MmIster's desIgnate m
hIS stage 2 answer to the gnevor's 1995 gnevance The umon does not argue that
the gnevor had a legal nght to what the HIll report recommended eIther before
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or as a result of her recommendatIOn. Nor does the umon suggest that gnevor
had a legal nght to a performance reVIew eIther before or as a result of the sec
ond stage answer to the 1995 gnevance The argument IS that management s
unexplamed faIlure to do as had been recommended or dIrected JustIfied an m
ference that raCIsm and/or antIpathy to the gnevor's umon actIvIty m advancmg
her complamts must have played a role m the employer's treatment of the
gnevor m these and other respects
[20] The faIlure of management to eIther do as Ms HIll recommended or ex
plam why It would not or dId not do so IS perplexmg SO IS management s faIlure
to eIther do as the MmIster's delegate dIrected or explam why It would not or dId
not In all the cIrcumstances, however these thmgs are not a sufficIent basIs for
the mference the umon asks me to draw Certamly there IS no other basIs for
such an mference
[21] There IS no suggestIOn, and no eVIdence that the gnevor was the only
classIfied employee allegedly dIsadvantaged by the management practIces about
whIch she and the umon were complammg m 1995 and afterwards There IS no
eVIdence concermng the actual or apparent racIal ongms of other allegedly dIS
advantaged employees, or of those members of management responsible for the
practIces, or of those employees alleged to have benefited from them In so far as
the employer had work opportumtIes to assIgn that were not subJect to postmg
and competItIOn, the gnevor asserts m a generally way that she was demed op
portumtIes afforded other employees and that the opportumtIes she got were not
as advantageous as those that others got Agam, the eVIdence does not IdentIfy
the actual or apparent racIal ongms of the decIsIOn makers or of the other em
ployees to whom they allegedly gave preferentIal treatment I do not suggest that
eVIdence of the matters Just referred to would have been necessary or sufficIent,
for these gnevances to succeed These observatIOns are sImply meant to Illus
trate and underscore my conclUSIOn that the eVIdence before me IS not an ade
quate basIs on whIch to sustam the claIms made
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[22] DIsappomtmg as It undoubtedly IS for Ms Damam, the fact that an em
ployee wIth her years of satIsfactory serVIce dId not get the sort of work opportu
mtIes she sought durmg the perIod m questIOn IS not so surprIsmg as to warrant,
wIthout other obJectIve eVIdence of It, an mference that dISCrImmatIOn played a
part m the outcome The eVIdence put before me does not support the grIevances
[23] Accordmgly these grIevances are dIsmIssed
Dated at Toronto thIS 7th day of July 2000
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