The first South Asian Senate manager has won his job back after a nine-year legal fight, according to Blacklock’s Reporter. “Mr. [Darshan] Singh is reinstated to his position as director of human resources with the Senate,” said Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) adjudicator Edith Bramwell in a ruling. Singh complained he was fired from the Senate after white female colleagues treated him as a problem employee. The order by the PSLREB approved a December 20 settlement between Singh and Senate lawyers. He was fired two years into his job in 2015. “Mr. Singh is a brown man of South Asian descent,” said Federal Court of Canada Justice Alan Diner. “He was the first and only visible minority employed at the Senate director level during the years at issue.”Senate administration complained about his attitude and behaviour and a breakdown of confidence and trust with co-workers. He countered by saying his immediate supervisor, who was a white woman, was going around him to his subordinates, would not clearly communicate with him, and left him micromanaged at work. “Matters regarding employment cannot be taken lightly,” said Diner. “They impact fundamental rights.”Diner acknowledged the Federal Court “has held where labour relations are concerned, particularly where a person’s right to continue their employment is at stake, a high standard of justice is required.”“Employment relationships are complex,” he said. The case involved lengthy court proceedings about disclosure of internal Senate administration documents, including emails and minutes of confidential meetings. Senate lawyers went to court in 2017 to block release of records they argued were confidential and subject to parliamentary privilege. Public costs of the litigation were not disclosed. Severance payments to ex-employees have ranged as high as $679,000 annually.
