Christopher Isiguzo in Enugu

About 400 aggrieved ex-employees of Baker and Hughes, the third largest multi-national oil servicing company in Nigeria on Friday staged a peaceful protest at the premises of the National Industrial Court Enugu where they are challenging their unlawful disengagement by the company.

The protesting ex-workers are demanding for their entitlements said to be worth a whooping N12 billion from the company.



The protesters carrying placards, chanted slogans against the companyand its Chief Executive Officer, Martin Craighead, insisting that theirdisengagement did not comply with existing labour laws in Nigeria.

Some of the placards they displayed read: ‘Baker and Hughes, How many more deaths Pay us while we are alive’, ‘Martin Craighead, slave master’, ‘Baker and Hughes pay us our money’, ‘Baker and Hughes, pay us like Congo, Gabon, Chad and Ghana’, ‘Baker and Hughes is nepotism’.

Briefing journalists outside the courtroom, George Ogara, counsel to the claimants/plaintiffs, said they were asking Baker and Hughes to pay them their adequate severancepackages.

Ogara said they were also asking for the post employment medical benefits as operated in other African countries in the same Geo-market with Nigeria, such as Congo, Gabon, Chad and Ghana.

He regretted that while workers disengaged by the company in the other African countries were adequately compensated with redundant allowances, Baker and Hughes treated those in Nigeria like slaves, not minding the position of Nigeria as the head of the Geo-market.

Ogara regretted that 15 of the disengaged workers have died and their widows are suffering, adding that they were asking that their entitlements be paid to them.

Earlier yesterday, hearing on the suit brought before the National Industrial Court Enugu by the ex-employees against the company was stalled, following the plea by the defendants’ counsels for more time to enable them to resolve issues over their representation as well as file their reply to the suit.

Ogara, the counsel to the claimants/plaintiffs had asked the court to allow him to proceed with his motion on notice as it appears that the respondents were not opposing it.

The motion is seeking among others for an order to restrain General Electrics from acquiring Baker and Hughes or ensuring that the ex-employees were paid their benefits (totaling about N12 billion) before the acquisition.

However, one of the respondent counsels, Ismail Muftau told the court that he has not received the processes for the motion on notice fixed for the day.

Muftau who appeared alongside Ayoade Oluwasammi for the defense, later admitted that he only sighted the processes from one of his colleagues in the defense and asked for time to reply to it when served.

But, Ogara told the court that the claimants were in a hurry and that the defendants were bidding for more time to destroy the res (subject matter) in the case.

In his ruling, Justice Auwal Ibrahim said the matter has to be adjourned to enable service to all the parties and to allow the two lawyers to the defendants to resolve issues about the particular defendants that they are representing.

Justice Ibrahim adjourned the matter to March 10th for the hearing of the motion.

Speaking with journalists after the court sitting, Ogara said they were asking for justice for 219 ex-employees of Baker and Hughes, who are among the 1000 who were declaredredundant and sent home without benefits.
But, Muftau who equally spoke with journalists outside the courtroom, dismissed the claim of the ex-employees, saying that they collected severance benefits and returned to court thereafter to ask for more.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/02/12/aggrieved-ex-bakerhughes-employees-protest-in-enugu-demand-n12b-entitlements/

Ok

wow

Please pay them their allowance because this recession is biting hard

midehi2:
wow

don't you attend church?

Naija guys don't like going to church but they are not comfortable marrying ladies that don't attend church

Bujumbura:
don't you attend church?

Naija guys don't like going to church but they are not comfortable marrying ladies that don't attend church

gbam! thats why i always pray for him even if he seldom attend church, our prayer goes a long way for them, so guy, am back

midehi2:

gbam! thats why i always pray for him even if he seldom attend church, our prayer goes a long way for them, so guy, am back

You are a bench warmer then


Join a department in church that's where ladies are groomed into women

Bujumbura:
You are a bench warmer then


Join a department in church that's where ladies are groomed into women

choi, mr man, go and sleep this hot afternoon

midehi2:

choi, mr man, go and sleep this hot afternoon

Go back to join and join a department in church

Bujumbura:
Go back to join and join a department in church

yes sir

When Pharoah refused to let God's people go, the aftermath..xxxxxx. Baker take care of your ex-employees and follow the due process.

Most of these multinationals get away with the evils they do because Nigeria is a useless Country.They can't even maltreat employees in most of these smaller african countries the way they treat Nigerian workers.When you see your counterparts in other countries with exact same job description,you regret your life.Kudos guys,enough is enough. Bakershughes makes makes billions of dollars yearly from Nigeria more than most regions in the world but the people executing the jobs(employees)are the lowest paid and poorest in Bakerhughes worldwide.

NBaker Hughes Nigeria is managed by evil minded self centred Nigerians. They pay other African employees, Ghana, Congo, Gabon, Angola all the redundancy packages $ ex gratia. But Nigerian employees which contribute more than 70 % of the African Geo-market revenue were dismissed without redundancy benefits. Nigerians are the least paid employees in Baker Hughes. Let the government of Nigerian come to the aid of this ex employees and penalise Baker Hughes

Nigerians needs as much money to boost our economy from these companies in this recession . Ex staff of sister companies like Schlumberger and Halliburton, get good payoff to start local content companies which employs other Nigerians. Do you know that some of the millions of naira they collect as tax from employees do not reach government purse. Let Govt and EFCC investigate BHI Nigeria. Do you know this same company collect a bond fee which is against Nigeria law? Do you know staff of the same company get good compensation from other African nations that produce little or no crude? Nigeria money is carted abroad and used to subsidize and pay them heavily, including other African countries

BAKER HUGHES is a scam company. My friend worked there for 15 years. His position was declared redundant and he was dropped from service with a paltry sum of 500,00 naira in this recession. Good people of Nigeria, is that a redundancy / benefit package? See the kind of evil some companies perpetrate in Nigeria. And to think that they do this to 219 Nigerians is despicable. No wonder the recession is even biting very hard in Nigeria.

franfumu:
BAKER HUGHES is a scam company. My friend worked there for 15 years. His position was declared redundant and he was dropped from service with a paltry sum of 500,00 naira in this recession. Good people of Nigeria, is that a redundancy / benefit package? See the kind of evil some companies perpetrate in Nigeria. And to think that they do this to 219 Nigerians is despicable. No wonder the recession is even biting very hard in Nigeria.

Speechless

when u don't have a government that is what u get. our governments at all levels have all failed us. we don't have a government now, we don't have before and I don't see us having in the near future.

Even the labour congress is no where to be found. Rather they have become 'labour congress'

na wa oh

franfumu:
BAKER HUGHES is a scam company. My friend worked there for 15 years. His position was declared redundant and he was dropped from service with a paltry sum of 500,00 naira in this recession. Good people of Nigeria, is that a redundancy / benefit package? See the kind of evil some companies perpetrate in Nigeria. And to think that they do this to 219 Nigerians is despicable. No wonder the recession is even biting very hard in Nigeria.

Was he a full staff or on a renewable contract ?

No fvcks given.
When they were chopping the oil money they didn't call me

If you think we still have labour law in Nigeria, you are a joker. Our politicians are concerned about their personal pocket.

Where is the govt when u need them most?

12billion? Well, the company can cough out that amount without breaking sweat.

Naija companies way dey do contract staff nko??Hmmmm. NLC, RIP. Amen!

Thieves .Not only 12 billion .It's 12 kobo.
Theur useless president made it hard for foreign companies

OK

hmmm

Okan

Pay them