A Bend labor leader has been appointed to serve on the Oregon Council on Civil Rights by Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian, according to a news release from the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries.

Yaju Dharmarajah, a staff representative with Oregon Council 75 of the Association of Federal, State, County and Municipal Employees, will become part of a council that advises the labor commissioner and the bureau on civil rights issues and enforcement.

Dharmarajah will take on his new role as the council prepares to address pay inequality in Oregon, said BOLI Communications Director Charlie Burr.

Dharmarajah is chairman of Central Oregon Jobs with Justice, a workers’ rights organization, and a founding member of the Central Oregon Social Justice Center, which houses several community groups.