Court reinstates 32 sacked ekiti varsity workers

The National Industrial Court, sitting in Akure, Ondo State has reinstated 32 out of over 900 workers disengaged by the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti  in December last year.

The university had on December 5, 2019 sacked over 900 of its works for alleged certificate forgery, irregular appointment, overage, among other allegations that contravened its conditions of service.

But in the suit number NICN/AD/03/2020, 32 technologist out of the sacked workers dragged EKSU, EKSU Governing Council and EKSU Vice Chancellor (first to third defendants respectively) to industrial court to seek redress.

They asked the court to determine whether their employments with EKSU enjoyed statutory protection and whether their disengagement was compatible with their status of employments which enjoyed statutory flavour.

Among others, they sought a declaration of the court that their disengagement as staff of EKSU “in the manner it was done was unlawful, irregular, illegal and therefore null and void and of no effect.

“An order for the immediate restoration and reinstatement of the claimants to their offices without loss of salaries, promotions, emoluments and other allowances due to them as staff of the First respondent (EKSU).

“Payment of the claimants’ three months salaries, emoluments and other allowances owed them before the purported and unlawful disengagement,” they requested among others.

But counsel to the university, prayed the court not to grant the request of the 32 technologists, saying they had not been able to establish in the case that their appointments with EKSU were unlawfully determined.

After listening to the submission of both the claimants’ and defense Counsel, the presiding Judge, Justice K.D Damulak, declared the termination of the workers’ appointment as “unlawful, null and void”.

A copy of the judgment delivered on December 8 was made available to journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, where Damulak said, “The claimants are hereby reinstated to their erstwhile positions in EKSU. The first defendant (EKSU) is hereby ordered to pay the claimants (the 32 technologists) their three months’ salaries owed them before their unlawful disengagement.”