Banker awarded N76.6million from Court, for being sacked wrongly.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has awarded N76.6m to a banker, Mr Patrick Modilim, for alleged wrongful termination of his employment.

Justice Benedict Kanyip held in his judgment that the defendant “constructively and wrongly” terminated the claimant’s employment. He ruled, “It is hereby ordered that the defendant shall pay to the claimant the sum of N75,535,128.00 only being the total sum the claimant ought to have been paid as his emolument for 20 months had the defendant reviewed his level to General Manager on confirmation.
 
      “It is hereby ordered that the defendant shall pay to the claimant the sum of N1,120,221.60 only as damages for the wrongful termination of the claimant’s contract of employment in terms of his constructive dismissal by the defendant.”

The judge also held that the money must be paid within 30 days of the judgment, otherwise it would attract interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annum until liquidated. Modilim, a Deputy General Manager at Zenith Bank Plc, when United Bank for Africa, offered him employment on December 3, 2007, said it was agreed he would be made a General Manager after six months, subject to his meeting of set targets.

 According to him, he met the set conditions following which UBA confirmed his employment on August 5, 2008. He however added that the bank continued to pay him the salary of a Deputy General Manager for the 20 months he worked for them, and did not provide him with two official cars which he was entitled to as a General Manager.

 Following this, Modilim said he was forced to resign on March 31, 2010, while UBA accepted his resignation via a letter dated March 30, 2010, a day before he resigned. The plaintiff said UBA’s acceptance letter shows that his employment was constructively terminated. But the bank had said it never promised to confirm the claimant’s employment as a General Manager.

It said it confirmed Modilim’s appointment as Deputy General Manager after the probationary period in line with his terms of employment. The bank also denied that Modilim was entitled to two vehicles with cash value of N16.4m as he was never a General Manager in UBA. UBA added that the claimant resigned his appointment on his own, never worked as a General Manager, and therefore, cannot be paid the salary of a General Manager.

But Justice Kanyip declared that the defendant’s failure to review the claimant’s level to General Manager on confirmation was a breach of his contract of employment contained in the offer letter and letter of commitment, both dated November 23, 2007.

 In one of the letters, UBA stated: “Subject to achieving your set targets, the bank is willing to review your level to General Manager on confirmation.” UBA had argued that the claimant did not prove that he met the targets, and that its expression of willingness to review his office was futuristic and “does not constitute a contract of employment.” But Justice Kanyip disagreed, saying, “This commitment remains a binding terms of the contract of employment between the claimant and the defendant.”

Culled from Punchng.