A former Secretary-Genral of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. John Odah, has said he will not settle out-of-court with his former employers.
Odah had sued the NLC at the National Industrial Court for what he called wrongful termination of his appointment since May 2011.
The court had at two separate sittings advised both parties to settle out-of-court.
But Odah told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Tuesday that he would continue to seek redress in court because the NLC had failed to meet his demands.
He insisted on his reinstatement without preconditions.
“The NLC’s condition of service says that an appointed staff will serve the organisation till you are 65 years.
“Or you spend 35 years in service unless you committed some crime against the organisation and my going to court was to make the point that I am not 65.
“I have about 12 to 13 years to reach that and that l have not committed any crime against the NLC. The termination of my appointment was not in conformity with the condition of service guiding the staff of the NLC.
“I went to the court to set aside that termination and that the court should revert me back to the services of the NLC.”
Odah further said that going to court was not about money.
He explained that the NLC, through the years, had been defending the rights and interests of workers, adding that termination of his appointment was a negation of what the congress stood.
“For me, the issue I am contesting for is not about money. I have sued the NLC just to make the point that people should not take the law into their hands,” he declared.
Odah also said that it was not true that he was floating a parallel union against the NLC.
“More than anybody currently in the leadership of NLC, I can claim that I have made more contributions to the cause of Nigerian workers.
“Not only that, I have risked both my life and liberty in the process too; so under normal circumstances I will not,” he vowed.
