PHCN entitlement: Court affirms jurisdiction

 The National Industrial Court (NIC) Ibadan, says it has jurisdiction to hear a suit instituted by workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria(PHCN) against the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE).

The Presiding Judge, Justice Firstina Kola-Olalere, gave the ruling on application filed by the Counsel to the BPE, Ogala Osoka, challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

Kola-Olalere also ruled that the claimants had a reasonable cause of action against the defendant until otherwise proven before the court.

The judge said that the claimant did not exceed the statute of limitation in establishing the issue.

She said that the defendant’s claim lacked merit and ordered that N50, 000 be paid to the claimant.

The counsel to the BPE had filed an application challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit.

Osoka argued that BPE was not responsible for the payment of the workers’ entitlements and should not be a party in the suit.

He said that it was the responsibility of the Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) to pay the workers, insisting that the bureau should not be a party in the suit.

No fewer than 384 casual workers of PHCN had sued the BPE and PHCN over the non-payment of their severance entitlements.

Kola-Olalere said that the matter would proceed to trial and fixed December 9 for hearing.

(NAN)