This was stated in a pre-action notice written by Kelly &Eze Attorneys, a legal firm representing the interests of Messers Anebe Peter, Benjamin Salome, Victor Precious Toboh, Rufai Margaret Biodun, Iniobong Hanson Umanah, Ike Isaac Unya, Yakubu Endurance, Abel Solomom, Marcus Sylvester Obi, and Akangbe Munirat Omotosho, who are the co-coordinators, representatives and some of the 509 disengaged workers of the labour ministry.
509 disengaged workers of the Ministry of Labour and Employment have written to the country’s labour minister and the head of civil service of the federation to demand the immediate payment of their salaries and other entitlements.
This was stated in a pre-action notice written by Kelly &Eze Attorneys, a legal firm representing the interests of Messers Anebe Peter, Benjamin Salome, Victor Precious Toboh, Rufai Margaret Biodun, Iniobong Hanson Umanah, Ike Isaac Unya, Yakubu Endurance, Abel Solomom, Marcus Sylvester Obi, and Akangbe Munirat Omotosho, who are the co-coordinators, representatives and some of the 509 disengaged workers of the labour ministry.
According to the notice, the 509 workers were disengaged illegally by the Nigerian Government, claiming that the government lacks legal rights to withhold their salaries and entitlements.
In January, the government sacked the 509 workers, describing them as “illegal staff” of the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
They were said to have been employed into the ministry weeks before the 2019 general election — but without a waiver from the office of the head of the civil service of the federation.
According to an internal circular signed by Hussain AbdallahRahman, the director of human resource management at the ministry, the “illegal staff” were sacked due to the refusal of a committee to enrol the new employees into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) platform.
The pre-action notice filed by Kelly & Eze Attorneys threatened that if the government failed to resolve the issue amicably, the aggrieved workers would not hesitate to take legal action to claim their entitlements.
The document reads: “To give the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Head of Service of the Federation, due notice of our clients' intention to seek redress for the nonpayment of their salaries and allowances upon their resumption of official duty as staff of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, from December 2019 when they were employed by the Ministry to December 2022, when their contract of employment was purportedly and/or unlawfully terminated by the Ministry.
“To further give notice of our clients’ determination to seek redress for the unlawful termination of their contract of employment by the Ministry of Labour and Employment without recourse to the extant provisions of the Labour Law and Civil Services rules on the termination of Contract of employment of Federal Civil Servants.
“That our Clients shall claim amongst other reliefs, declaratory, injunctive and mandatory orders for the reinstatement of the 509 staff members whose contract of employment was unlawfully terminated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment on the 29th of December 2022, and for the payment of the accrued salaries and allowances of the 509 staffs, who had resumed official duties with the Ministry for more than years prior to their purported albeit unlawful disengagement from services by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.
“That we had previously written the Head of Service and Honourable Minister of Labour and Employment over the subject matter, copy whereof is herein enclosed for your esteemed reference, guidance and necessary action.
“It is fervently hoped and solemnly prayed that you will use your good office to do the needful and resolve the impasse arising from the unlawful termination of the contract of employment of 509 staff members of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the non-payment of their salaries and work allowances from December 2019 when there were employed to December 2022, when their contract of employment was purportedly terminated.
“As we look forward to an amicable resolution of this matter before approaching the Courts for redress, we sincerely thank you for your much-envisaged understanding and be assured of our high esteem and professional regards.”