Final Arguments Made In Casino Firing Tribunal

Thursday, February 02, 2006 at 20:27

A human rights tribunal for some ex-pit bosses at the Northern Lights Casino wrapped up yesterday in Prince Albert.

The workers contend they were laid off because they weren’t of First Nations ancestry.

Their lawyer, Milton Woodard, is asking the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority to award each of them $5,000 for hurt feelings tied to the dismissal.

Woodard argues that while the casino did operate under a provision enabling them to hire preferentially, they did not have the right to layoff personnel due to ancestry.

SIGA lawyer Catherine Sloan says the casino did nothing wrong.

She points to the hiring exemption in the collective bargaining agreement as grounds for the casino’s decision.

The general manager for Northern Lights says card tables were being removed to make way for slot machines, and that’s why they didn’t need the workers.