By LAWANI MIKAIRU & DANIEL ETEGHE

Workers of the grounded Air Nigeria have dragged the Air Nigeria Development Limited, owner of Air Nigeria airlines, the Chairman of the airline Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim and the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Mr Kinfe Kanssaye before the National Industrial Court Holden in Lagos over the illegal and wrongful termination of their employments, non payment of salaries and non remittance of their 7.5 per cent pension scheme contributions.

In a suit filed by the workers’ solicitors; Muhmad Adesina ESQ and Ogunsany &Ogunsanya against Air Nigeria and other two defendants, the workers  said they were all employed by the Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited via their respective letters of employment but that on December 31, 2010, Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited was change to Air Nigeria Development Limited and all business related and liabilities of Virgin Nigeria Airways Limited were transferred to Air Nigeria.

The workers through their solicitors also averred that the letter notifying them of the change was communicated them by Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim through the Chief Executive Officer of the airline, Mr Kinfe Kanssaye, who also signed the letters.

The termination of their employments ,they said did not follow due process as contained in the employment hand book, adding that the workers did not withdraw their respective services to Air Nigeria Development Limited as they did not write any letter to the company.

The workers averred that prior to the termination of their appointments by Air Nigeria Development Limited, the airline owed workers arrears of salaries; from May to August, 2012 and that some were paid for the month of May only, while others were not.

The workers in their suit claimed that prior to the wrongful termination of their appointments, they have had contributed 7.5 per cent of their salaries to the Pension Contributory Scheme, while the company contributed 7.5 per cent but that despite deducting this amount from the salaries of the workers, the company has not been remitting same to the pension scheme as agreed upon by employer and employees.