Industrial Court Order NVRI to reinstate sacked staff, award N10m as damage

The national industrial court Jos division has order the national veterinary research institute NVRI Vom to reinstate Mr. Reuben Awanye Itruma a staff of the institute whose appointment was illegally terminated in October 2007.

The court also directed the respondent to pay the claimant forthwith all such salaries , allowances and other entitlement that fell due as at the date of the purported dismissal and further pay forthwith all such salaries , benefits , allowances at incremental rate from the time of the stoppage of his salaries in 2007 till date.

Mr. Itruma had dragged the national veterinary research institute NVRI Vom to the national industrial court over stoppage of his salaries and unlawful dismissal from service in 2007.

Among the prayers of the claimant is that the court should declared the purported stoppage of his salaries from October 2007 till date and his subsequent purported dismissal from the service of NVRI without given him fair hearing as null and void .

Other relief being sort is that the court should make an order directing the respondent to reinstate the claimant to his office on equal rank, status and grade with other employees of the 1st respondent who were on equal grade with the claimant prior to his purported dismissal from service of the respondent

Delivering her judgment on the matter in Jos the Plateau State capital Justice R. H. Gwandu declared that the purported stoppage of the claimant salary from October 2007/till date and his subsequent dismissal from services of the respondent pursuant to the public service rules and all the steps leading up to his dismissal are unlawful, null, void and of no effect whatsoever.

She further opined that the claimant employment is governed by the condition for service for federal research institutes, collages of agriculture and allied institutions of the federal republic of Nigeria of 1st January 2004 and not public service rules.

The judge also argued that if any disciplinary action is to be taken against any employees pursuant to any statute law or rule there must be full compliance with the statute law or any of them required before such disciplinary action can be properly based or justified.

Justice Gwandu stressed that the instant case the respondent did not comply with the rules relating to dismissal of the appellant from his employment.

“In the circumstance, the dismissal of the appellant from his employment cannot stand and is therefore reversed.”
She also awarded Ten Million Naira as general damages against the respondent jointly and severally.