Setback for e workers

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The Santa Clara County Superior Court in California, usa, has temporarily halted the 50 toxic chemical exposure claims filed by current and former employees against technology giant International Business Machines Inc (ibm). Judge Robert Baines has ordered that a third-party mediator be selected to resolve the court cases.

The workers filed over 200 lawsuits against the company, charging it with not providing them a healthy work environment. They hired an epidemiologist who found distressing episodes of cancer in records of over 30,000 employees maintained by the company. For their part, the defendants say there is no scientific evidence supporting these claims.

The legal battle highlights the controversy regarding working conditions inside electronics and microchip plants, which have sickened employees.