A National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Jos, has adjourned until May 17 for report of settlement in a case between Jos Electricity Distribution Company Limited (JED) and the 45 disengaged staff of the company over alleged non-payment of entitlements, amounting to N16.5 million and N100 million damages for disengaging them by the Jos DisCo without notice.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Kenneth Amadi directed that both parties to look into the issue of damages.
Justice Amadi further urged the parties to meet again and see if they could settle the matter without further delay.
During the court sitting, the counsel to the plaintiff – the 45 disengaged staff- Barr Anna Izang informed the court that a meeting was held with both parties and an agreement reached on some of the claims by her clients.
She added that the only area where they had a problem was the issue of N100 million general damages.
She said, “If the matter had not come to court, they wouldn’t have been pushing for damages but since the matter was in court and my clients have also gone through so much stress and trauma, the issue of general damages also needed to be looked into.”
Earlier in his submission, counsel to the defendants – Jos Disco-, Prof. Shaaka S Shaaka told the court that parties were able to meet and have come to a general understanding that the matter was one that could be settled.
It would be recalled that 45 disengaged staff of Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED) had sued their former employer before the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, sitting in Jos, over alleged non-payment of their entitlements amounting to N16.5m.
The disengaged staff also urged the court to order the company to pay the sum of N100 million damages caused to them by the company after it disengaged them on 13th, October, 2017 without notice.
