French rail firm ordered to pay 150-M euros in bias case

PARIS — A lawyer for Moroccan railway workers says France’s labor court has ordered the national railway to pay 150 million euros ($169 million) in compensation after finding that Moroccans had faced discrimination in benefits compared with their French colleagues.

The ruling Monday came in the case of more than 800 Moroccans hired by the SNCF in the beginning of the 1970s as contractual employees, not under the regular railwayman contract available to French — and later European — employees. Most of the Moroccans have since retired with far less in pension and health benefits.

Clelie de Lesquen, a lawyer for the Moroccans, said the court ordered payments averaging 200,000 euros ($225,000) for each worker, for a total of about 150 million euros.

SNCF said it was examining the ruling.