N2.8bn union dues: Textile workers flay court judgment

 By EMEKA MAMAH

KADUNA-Textile workers in the country have rejected yesterday’s refusal by the Federal High Court to ask two Kaduna based-textile companies to pay them N2.8 billion being un-remitted union dues after 11 years of trial, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.

The union said Fintex and Nortex textile companies refused to pay remit the dues, prompting it to take the matter to the Federal High Court in 2004, adding that Justice Mohammed Liman who heard the case first sat on the matter for about40 times before he was transferred and Justice Mohammed Lawal Shuaibu who took over from him continued with the case.

In a statement issued shortly after the judgment in Kaduna, the General Secretary of the union, Comrade Issa Aremu, said labout rejected the judgment because it amounted to denial of the workers’ rights.

The statement was  entitled, ‘’the judgment of Justice M.L. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, on Finetex/Nortex is not Justice.’’

Aremu said, ‘’The union hereby rejects today’s (June 1, 2011) judgment of the Federal High Court, Kaduna, led by Justice Shuaibu on the case instituted by the union against the management of Finetex and Nortex Limited seeking for the settlement of their indebtedness to the union and workers’ benefits. It is one judgment long delayed and justice denied. Justice Shuaibu’s judgment is for the corporate debtors NOT for the poor workers of the companies.

‘’The two companies are indebted to workers who are members of the union to the tune of N2.8 billion being unpaid salaries and other entitlements.