By Tunde Johnson, Abuja
Former staff of the defunct Nigerian Telecommunication Company (NITEL) have called on the Federal Government to pay up their salary arrears for the past seven years.
They made the call at a protest march where about 50 members of ex-staff of NITEL participated in the peaceful protest which took place at the premises of Federal High Court, Abuja.
The aggrieved staff demanded that the documents of their disengagement should be tabled before the court of law.
Joseph Adejo, counsel to the workers noted that all labourers deserve their wages adding that they were in court to demand for their entitlements
He said NITEL and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) should present document that the security staff were truly disengaged before the court of law.
Adejo said that the matter has been on since 2011 but the staff were suddenly asked to remain at their duty post in the cause of restructuring NITEL, with the assurance that their salaries would be taken care of.
He said that at that time, they engaged some lawyers who wrote on their behalf and even went to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity but there was no response to their plea.
He also said that the case started at the National Industrial Court but was later transferred to Federal High Court which they obliged them and gave them time to settle.
‘’There was no response from the Federal High Court. As you can see some of these people are old and looking very hungry.
“We started at the National Industrial court then later transferred to Federal High Court, and the court obliged us. Is three years now we are not getting response, so we are here because some of them are old, they are hungry and need to cater for their family,” Barr. Adejo said.
