The Ontario’s Human Right Tribunal has ordered the Ottawa based company – Ottawa Valley Cleaning and Restoration to pay the sum of $8,000 as a consequence for violating the rights of a Malek Bouraoui- a black job applicant. The abuse Mr. Bouraoui had to endure consisted of racist text messages and phone calls. Rightfully so, Mr.Bouraoui filed a complaint against the company. On top of all the discrimination he faced, Mr. Bouraoui received threats from a representative of the company who wanted the complaint to be withdrawn.
This article was quite difficult to read as I felt that the abuse was absolutely unnecessary and cruel. It is never okay for employers to behave in such a vile manner with job applicants. Consequently, the company’s name has been tarnished. In addition, this kind of behaviour can deter prospective applicants from applying.
I also found it quite ironic how the agent of the company text messaged Mr. Bouraoui with atrocious grammar telling him to stop texting him otherwise it would be classified as “hearasment.” The employer was adamant about only hiring white men- assuming white men are able to communicate and speak english well, however it appeared that he himself was unable to properly form a sentence. In conclusion, I believe that discrimination can only be destructive and that there is no place for it in the workplace.