Workers of the Police Commission on Monday, stormed its headquarters in Abuja, along with court bailiff, demanding the PSC, to obey a court order and pay them their entitlements.
The forty-three workers were employed by the chairman of the PSC, Mr. Parry Osayande, in April 2013, but were not paid their salaries after the Mike Okiro-led board of the commission took over.
The National Industrial Court had directed the agency to regularize their appointments and pay the workers their salaries for the 28 days remuneration and allowances from the date of their employment till date.
The worker’s salaries were unpaid on the grounds that their appointment allegedly did not conform with the civil service rules and regulations.
Justice E.D. Isele, in his ruling dated October 18, 2016, described as illegal the refusal of the commission to pay the workers their salaries and allowances, stating that it was a violation of the provision of Section 10(3)(b) of the Police Service Commission Act, 2001, Rules 040102 and 130105 of the Public Service Rules and the Police Service Conditions of Service paragraphs 4.1(c) and 4-2(e).
The agency was restrained by the court from further harassment, suspending of employment, and refusal to pay salaries and allowances without due compliance with the extant provision of the law regulating the claimant’s employment.
The judgment read in part, “The 1st and 2nd defendants (PSC and Okiro), are hereby mandatorily directed to pay the claimants forthwith their first 28 days allowances, salaries, allowances of equivalent rank in the Civil Service of Federation commencing from the date of their employment to when the claimants’ employment is properly determined in accordance with the provisions of the law regulating the claimant’s employment with the defendants.”
The Head, Legal Section of the PSC, Tijani Muhammed, promised the workers the commision’s willingness to obey the court order and advised they come back in two weeks time.
“I need to convey the order to the board which would meet and take a decision on it, so I would advise that you come back after 10 working days during which the decision of the management would be conveyed to you, but I assure you that something would be done about the situation,” Muhammed stated.
