By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU
NO fewer than 18 retrenched Dock Workers registered at the Calabar Seaport, have dragged the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Ministry of Labour and five others to the National Industrial Court, NIC, Calabar Division, Cross River State, over alleged unpaid entitlements amounting to N800 Million.

In a suit No. NIC/CA/02/2012, the ex-workers claimed that the defendants are Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, K-Marine limited, ECM Terminals Ltd among others.

The presiding judge, Justice Ibrahim Awal  after listening to the arguments of the plaintiff and defendant counsels adjourned the matter for ruling on June 5, 2012.

Speaking in an interview, counsel to the aggrieved former workers, Mr. Mathew Atambi, said they were in Court to enforce their Fundamental Rights after they were retrenched in  September 2011.

He claimed the workers were retrenched for protesting the non-payment of their wages and salaries since 2008 according to the Federal Government’s concession agreement with private port owners.

According to him, “We are in Court to enforce the fundamental human rights of our clients and also to ensure that the reforms are duly followed. They are owing us over N800 million wages that have not been paid and about N180 million on salaries which have not been paid since 2008.”

Atambi said that they were seeking the intervention of the Court for the payment of the workers’ entitlements, lamenting that all attempts to settle out of court proved abortive.