NIGERIA – The Lagos Division of the National Industrial Court has granted an ex-parte injunction restraining the management of La Casera Company Plc, makers of La Casera soft drink and other consumables, from terminating the appointment of its workers over unionisation dispute with the National Union of Food Beverage, Tobacco Employees, (NUFBTE).

The court, which gave the order on September 15 also ordered the soft drink giant, either acting by itself or its agents, not to tamper with the employment of the staff pending the hearing of the substantive suit, coming up on October 19,2015.

This order has however rendered the actions of the company in the termination of the appointments of its workers on Monday null and void.

The company had on Monday through an unsigned notice pasted on its gate at the industrial Estate, Mile 2, sacked no fewer than 1,500 workers comprising 700 regular workers and 800 casuals.

The application is dated September 11, 2015 and marked as NICN/LA/416/2015. The applicant is brought by NUFBTE while La Casera Company Plc, is the respondent.

The applicants prayed for “an order of Interim injunction restraining the respondent (La Casera) whether by itself, its management, staff, Directors, members, agents, Proxies or Privies from determining or otherwise terminating by any means howsoever, including redundancy, the employment of its employees who are members of the Applicant pending the determination of the Motion on Notice”.

Their prayer was granted, thereby calling for a stay of action by the company pending when the case will be heard. The ex parte was filed while the respondents (La Casera) suit is still pending before the same judge due to the firm’s purported move to sack workers during the pendency of the suit.

Justice Obaseki-Osaghae, after hearing counsel to the applicant (NUFBTE), Sola Iji said that an order of interim injunction restraining the claimant whether by itself, its management, staff, Directors, members, agents, proxies or privies is granted, pending the detemination of the motion on Notice and that the pending motion on notice filed by the respondent/claimant will be heard along with the defendant’s motion on notice.”

http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/2015/09/court-restrains-la-casera-from-sacking-workers/