For the fourth time, the out-of-court settlement between the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JED) Limited and 45 former employees of the company has ended in stalemate.
Recall 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 has disengaged them on 13th, October, 2017 without notice.
But since last year when the case was first mentioned in court, both parties’ resolve for an out-of-court settlement had not been progressing as expected.
According to the court proceeding of last Friday’s sitting seen by Daily Trust, the counsel to the Plaintiffs, (45 ex-staff), Izang Aware told the court that the counsel to the defendants (Jos Disco), Prof. Shaka S. Shaka was feeling too busy, which made the out of court settlement not feasible.
But in his response, Prof Shaka Shaka told the court that he had written a letter to his clients, advising them to make payment for the claims (N16.5 million) but not to pay for general damages (N100 million).
Prof Shaka further requested for adjournment to allow the initial negotiation come to fruition.
However, counsel to the Plaintiffs, Aware said that his clients have a notion that the defendants were not interested in settlement.
But Prof Shaka said that he advised his clients not to pay for general damages because in an employment matter which is called matters of relationship, general damages is not recognized.
In his ruling, presiding judge, Justice Kenneth Amadi directed the parties to either settle or continue with a definite hearing.
He then adjourned until 4th July for definite report of settlement or hearing.
