₦airaland Forum

THE NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL COURT, IKOYI, LAGOS SITTING OF 13TH JANUARY, 2016 between EX-SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS & ZENITH BANK PLC was published in The national mirror of Thursday 21st January, 2016 Vol. 5 No. 1290, page 39. Story by WALE IGBINTADE:
N970m Suit: Court refuses bank’s application to introduce new issues.
The national industrial court, Lagos division has refused fresh applications filled by the Zenith bank in suit instituted by former ex-employees of the bank.
Justice Benedict Kanyip in a bench ruling held that bank’s intention was to introduce new extraneous matters from those available to the parties as at time of filling the suit.
The former ex-employees had in their suit filed by [b]Peter Ogbolu, Charles Chukwu, Mangey Bitrus Bulus, Adeniran Adebisi and Abdullahi Olayiwola Alfa suing for themselves and on behalf of 97 others south for an order compelling the respondents (Zenith Bank, Zenith Securities & Peopleplus Management Services) to reinstate them immediately or in the alternative pay N10 million to each of the claimants as compensation for the alleged unfair labour practice.
But, Zenith bank in its motion on notice prayed the court for leave to amend its statement of defence and file additional documents. But in opposition, the claimants through their lawyer, Augustine Audu urged the court to refuse the application. He stated that several preliminary objections filed by the defendants to delay hearing of the suit were dismissed by the court. He described the application as an abuse of court processes, vexatious, frivolous and oppressive.
The claimants in their statement of claim averred that they were paid by Zenith bank (1st defendant) and were issued pay slip by the bank and that they have worked in the employment of the defendants between Five to Ten years. Besides, they alleged that contrary to the best labour practice as implemented to other categories of employees within the industry they were never promoted nor given the opportunity to progress on the job. The claimants added that when they decided to agitate for a fair labour practice devoid of discrimination, the 3rd respondent (Peopleplus Management Services) allegedly terminated their appointments without notice on the ground of restructuring. The claimants averred that rather than being disengaged on ground of redundancy and be paid redundancy benefit in line with term and condition of service, the respondents allegedly terminated their employment through the incorporation and help of the 3rd respondent (Peopleplus Management Services). They are asking the court for a declaration that their disengagement by the 3rd respondent was illegal, invalid, null and void and of no effect of whatsoever.
Note: Zenith bank is out to frustrate us. Do you know that they bought all the paper published of the 21st January. I personally looked for the paper in Makurdi but all I was told was “ Natioanl mirror paper did not come”. I had to call a friend in Lagos to get a copy and send through a driver, he actually went to a vendor, on giving my friend a copy, the vendor got a call not to sell so he opted to get the paper back from him but my friend refused and dropped his cash on the ground for him and left.