Lawyers Condemn Indiscriminate Sacking Of Workers

Some lawyers in Lagos on Saturday condemned the indiscriminate sacking of workers by their employers without following due process.

In separate interviews with newsmen the lawyers said that some labour managers have become so inhuman and out of touch with the demands and legitimate rights of their workers.

Mr Fred Agbaje said that in as much as employers have the right to hire and fire, they should follow due process.

Agbaje said that the labour laws provided a guide on how a worker should be hired and fired, while employment terms were also stated in appointment letters.

According to him, the indiscriminate sacking of workers without due process was inhuman and did not bode well for the development of the country.

“It is very sad because it does not allow for economic growth as this could lead to increase in crime rate in the country,” Agbaje said.

Another lawyer, Mr Tunde Braimo, urged government to amend the laws governing labour courts in order to enable them handle cases efficiently.

He urged employers to follow due process in sacking their workers to prevent the destabilising effect of such actions.

Another lawyer, Mr Adindu Ugwueze, said that employers of labour were bound by the terms and conditions of the employment letter.

“Even in master and servant relationships, there are terms and conditions that govern them and one is not expected to breach it,” Ugwueze said.

He said that workers have the right to go to court to challenge the manner in which they were laid off, if they were not satisfied with it, especially if a breach of contract had occurred.

He called on government to look into the matter, so that condition of workers in the country would not deteriorate.