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MONTREAL — A French airline caterer is denying that it knowingly employed undocumented workers at its Montreal facilities or that it used their precarious status to exploit them. 

Newrest, which prepares in-flight meals for airlines, said in an email that it "scrupulously" respects Canadian and Quebec employment and immigration laws.

The company is named in an application for a class-action lawsuit that alleges more than 400 people were lured to sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ under false premises by a Montreal-area placement agency. 

The lawsuit claims that the majority of those individuals were enticed to work for Newrest — even though they didn't have work permits — and were regularly paid less than minimum wage and subject to other abuses.

Newrest says it takes the claims seriously and is investigating.

The company, which has operated in sa¹ú¼Ê´«Ã½ since 2010, says it has never been sanctioned by Canadian authorities. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2023. 

The Canadian Press