Fired Waterhen Workers Reach Settlement With Band

Fired Waterhen Workers Reach Settlement With Band

Wednesday, January 26, 2005 at 13:37

 

 

A councillor at the Waterhen Lake First Nation says the band will pay out almost $600,000 in settlement money to four employees whose jobs were terminated in 2001.

 

Albert Fiddler explains the decision was reached at a council meeting yesterday.

 

Fiddler says he hopes the move will quash a protest on the reserve which began last week.

 

Protesters have been staging a demonstration outside the administration office, demanding the band not re-hire the employees.

 

Fiddler says the protest apparently convinced the four workers to accept a monetary settlement instead of returning to their old jobs.

 

He states the settlement costs will be made up by a slashing of subcommittees and other expenditures that were due to come down anyway.

 

As a result, Fiddler says band members shouldn’t worry about the settlement affecting them financially.

 

The lawyer for the four workers was not immediately available for comment.