Court Dismisses Dock Workers, Terminal Operators’ Suit

A National Industrial Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, has dismissed a suit filed by Dock Workers against the Port Terminal Operators Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt.
The trial judge, Justice Polycarp Hamman, dismissed the suit based on the inability of the claimants to prove that they were permanent workers of the company by providing permanent appointment/employment letters in that regard.
Hamman opined that the sacked workers have failed to establish that they had a relationship with the company they sued.
He said the court could not grant them their prayers as they were not permanent staff, adding that what the workers submitted to the court during the pendency of the suit was temporary appointment letters instead of permanent letters of employment.
According to him, “there is no way the court can grant your prayers for the payment of the new minimum wage as being sought based on the temporary letters submitted”.
Hamman, however, refused to award any cost against any party in the matter, and also held that the claimants were entitled to file the suit despite not adhering to the remediation clause in the agreement entered into between the two parties.
Earlier in an interview with newsmen, counsel to the dock workers, Uche Ogwudu said the judge relied on the inability of his clients to produce permanent appointment letters and dismissed the entire suit.
He said he would study the judgment in order to advise his clients on the way forward.
Also speaking, counsel to the defendants, Angus Obinna Chukwuka lauded the court on the judgement, adding that the inability of the sacked workers to produce any letter of permanent employment before the court made their demands inefficient.