After three years of legal battles, more than 150 Wal-Mart employees in Hull have unionized.

The Quebec labour board granted bargaining rights for the store's employees to the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada union on Wednesday.

The decision comes just months after Wal-Mart closed a tire shop in Gatineau after its employees received union certification.

"Hopefully, this decision will help Wal-Mart to understand that Canada is a place where labour rights are human rights, and where people take their rights very seriously," union president Wayne Hanley said in a prepared statement.

Although the union says negotiations with the retail giant will begin as soon as possible, dates to discuss bargaining have not been set.

United Food and Commercial Workers Canada is the country's largest private-sector union, representing more than 250,000 members.