Workers of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) have appealed to the management of the corporation to sell their current staff quarters to them, instead of selling them to outsiders.
The workers told NAN that it would be unfair to sell them to outsiders when the National Industrial Court (NIC) in a judgment had asked the corporation to sell the quarters to its workers.
The President of the NIC, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, had on Jan. 5 in Lagos ruled that the workers ought to be given the first consideration to buy over their quarters from the Federal Government.
The workers, under the aegis of the Nigeria Union of Railway Workers (NURW) and the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations (SSACTAC), had filed a suit against the corporation on the acquisition of the Federal Government landed property.
Adejumo, ruling in suit number NIC/LA/11/2011, had upheld the workers’ claim as valid participants to possess the corporation’s staff quarters under the sale of the Federal Government landed property programme.
“My judgment is fair to all the parties in the sense that the rights of Nigerians must be protected. It is proper that people who are working or have worked in a place should be the beneficiary of any unbundling of the organisation or sale of it to private individuals,” Adejumo stated.
Comrade Ralph Okoro, the President, NURW, told NAN that the union had not witnessed any form of change in the actions of the management after the judgment.
Okoro, therefore, appealed to the workers to be patient and allow the rule of law to take effect, assuring that they would be vindicated.
“As I am talking to you, the management of the NRC has not called us for anything. The Nigerian Railway Corporation by now has not done anything to show that they have obeyed the court order.
“We are sure that their legal team must have sent a copy of the judgment to them. But as I am talking to you, there is nothing to show, and the railway workers are still apprehensive,” he said.
Also speaking, Comrade Mohammed Yinusa, the President-General, SSACTAC, said, however, that due to the track record of the corporation on court judgments, the management would abide by the judgment. Yinusa urged the workers to be patient, remain committed to their duties and work as loyal staff, until the end of the matter.
“I have a high belief that the NRC management would obey the judgment of the National Industrial Court because of their records on court injunctions. If you ask me today that I should provide any evidence that the management has not respected any court order, I am not sure if I can produce any.
“I advise the management to re-access their strategy and reciprocate the good gesture of government and the hard work put up by our members over the years to implement the judgment,” he added.
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