FOURTEEN
thousand ex-workers of non-consolidated banks in Nigeria have sued the
Central Bank of Nigeria over the bank’s alleged refusal to pay their
entitlements.
The ex-bank workers sued as registered
trustees of the Association of Non-Consolidated Banks, Nigeria, in the
matter that came up for hearing at the National Industrial Court, Enugu
Judicial Division, on Friday.
Joined in the suit are the Nigeria
Deposit Insurance Corporation; ministers of Finance, Labour and
Productivity; and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Other defendants in the suit, which is
being presided over by Justice A.K Ibrahim, include Eco Bank PLC, United
Bank for Africa, AfriBank (now Mainstream Bank) and Zenith Bank.
The ex-workers are asking the court to
determine “whether having regards to the CBN Guidelines and Incentives
on Consolidation in the Nigerian Banking Industry of August 5, 2004,
particularly the ‘Social Safety Net’, and the claimants are not entitled
to be ameliorated and compensated in terms of their terminal benefits,
salary arrears and allowances.
“Whether the tacit delay and intractable
refusal of the defendants to implement the Social Safety Net and in so
doing ameliorate and compensate the claimant job losses and redundancies
as enshrined under the Social Safety Net is not tantamount to a denial
to perform a statutory duty to a remedy enforceable by an order of
mandamus.
“Whether it is proper for the first and
second respondents (CBN and NDIC) to categorise the claimant’s employers
within the meaning of ‘failing banks’ in the light of the provisions of
Section 35, 36 and 38 of Banking and other Financial Institutions Act,
(Cap B3 LF 2004) and section 494 (1) of Companies and Allied Matters
Act, (Cap 59) and in consequence of such classification treat the
claimant’s rightful benefit as other creditors.”
Accordingly, they are seeking from the
court a declaration that they are entitled to amelioration and
compensation in terms of their terminal benefits, salary arrears and
allowances in accordance with the ‘Social Safe Net’ enshrined in the CBN
Guidelines and Incentives on consolidation in the Nigeria Banking
Industry of August 5, 2004.
The suit has been adjourned to November
7, 2013 to enable counsel to the claimants, Emenike Azubuike, respond to
the counter affidavits filed by the defendants.
PUNCH
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