Government Told to Award Back Pay

A federal court ordered the government to make back payments to 200,000 federal workers, most of them women, in the biggest pay-equity case in Canadian history. The decision may mean the government will have to fork out billions of dollars in what union officials in the Public Service Alliance of Canada hailed as a victory for women but right-wing politicians viewed as a misguided blow to taxpayers. The union says it is claiming more than $1.3 billion in back pay, with interest payments adding another 50%. The federal government declined to say whether it will appeal the decision.