The disengaged workers of the Nigerian Telecommunications Limited have asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the planned liquidation of the company by the Bureau of Public Enterprises pending the full implementation of a judgment secured by them in the same court in 2008.
In 2006, NITEL sacked many of its workers to pave way for its liquidation by the BPE, in line with the privatisation agenda of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The workers stated that the disengagement violated a valid court order, which had restrained the company from laying them off.
The November 6, 2008 judgment by Justice S. E. Oladetoyinbo, had stated that all casual workers were permanent staff of the NITEL.
It had also ordered that upon disengagement, the staff be paid the full benefits and entitlements as permanent staff of the company.
The workers expressed their position in a motion of notice filed on their behalf by their counsel, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN), pursuant to Order 7 Rule 1 and Order 31 Rule 1 FCT High Court (Civil Procedure rule).
The Transnational Corporation, NITEL and BPE are listed as 1st, 2nd and 3rd defendants/respondents in the suit, which processes were obtained by journalists on Sunday.
The embattled workers in an affidavit deposed to by their representative, Mr. Tijani Aminu, insisted that the court order was not carried out.
The affidavit further states that sequel to a meeting held between them and the 2nd and 3rd respondents, it was agreed that what was due to them by the judgment was without any discrimination on items and figures, as it related to other permanent staff.
Regrettably, they were paid without regard to the band/step they belonged and which would have affected other computations for individual payment.
They stated, “The three months arrears of salary in lieu of notice in respect of a worker adjudged to be on band/step B1/15 is not N28, 815 howsoever calculated.
“Salary arrears and several other items of entitlement have not been paid to us. These include, basic salaries with proper reflection of grade levels/bands as applicable to our counterparts in the service at the material time, monthly allowances, annual leave allowances, rent subsidy, furniture grants received by others every October, and benefit of career enhancement by promotion of eligible individuals.”
The workers said the BPE was bent on proceeding with the liquidation exercise in breach of the judgment, despite a letter dated May 24 written by their counsel to the 2nd respondent, to draw attention to the deliberate omission.
They drew attention to a document prepared by Giant Consultants Limited entitled, ‘Report on NITEL/MTEL Labour Restructuring & Outstanding Employees Entitlements.’
They pleaded with the court to make a definite order, for full compliance with its earlier judgment, before the liquidation of the company.
As at the time of this report, it was not certain if the case had been assigned to any judge.
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