By Titilayo Oreofe
The expectations of 384 former staff of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to getting justice over their 2013 disengagement wa, dashed today, as the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Ibadan Division, dismissed their suit.
The former PHCN contract staff were sacked during the partial-privatisation of the power sector.
They claimed that they were laid off without following due process, but Justice J. D.Peters ruled that their action was status bar, stressing they filed the suit outside the required months allowed by the law after their disengagement.
The former staff had in 2014 filed a case of illegal dismissal and non-payment of their salaries and entitlements since July, 2014 against the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and Bureau of Public Enterprises.
Justice Peter said, “the suit, filed in 2014, is one of the oldest case in this court, the case is hereby dismissed in it’s entirety.”
The claimants were former employees of the defendants, on different grades and designations, while some are employed as casual and others as corporate guards.
The court had earlier been briefed that the claimants were employed as contract and casual staff as well as corporate guards by PHCN prior to its privatisation.
It was further briefed that the claimants complied with the BPE’s directive to regularise and re-designate casual or contract status to permanent staff status by Dec. 31, 2009.
The claimants therefore, said they were entitled to the payment of their salaries, severance packages, gratuities, pension and other entitlements as regularised staff of the PHCN.
One of the claimants, Mr Segun Oyetunji, while reacting to the judgment on behalf of others, told our reporter that they will Appeal the judgement, to seek redress at ensuring that they get justice.
