MTN appeals N4.8bn judgment in ‘wrongful employment termination’ case

MTN, telecommunication giant, says it has approached a higher court to set aside a judgment by National Industrial Court against it.

On Wednesday, Oyepoju Oyewumi, justice of the Ondo division of the court, asked the company to pay Paul Odunewu, a former network group operations manager of the company, N4.8 billion for alleged wrongful termination of his appointment.

Odunewu had filed a suit against MTN, alleging that his appointment was wrongfully terminated and that his entitlements were not paid.

In a statement issued by Omasan Ogisi, general manager corporate affairs of the company, on Saturday, MTN said it is committed to treating all its employees fairly.

“We can confirm that the National industrial Court took a position which we consider detrimental to our interests in a suit filed by a former employee. The court’s position has been reviewed by our internal and external counsel,” the statement read.

“Following that review, we have approached a higher court requesting that the decision of the industrial court be set aside. We believe that there are critical elements of our case which were not fully considered by the lower court before taking its position.

“We are confident that the outcome at the superior court will be different and that justice will not only be done but will be seen to be done in this case.

“MTN is committed to a policy of openness, integrity, diligence and professionalism in the conduct of business – with customers, shareholders and each other. Our code of conduct stipulates high labour standards regarding all our employees. In addition, we have processes in place to ensure that we act in accordance with international standards and local laws.

“We, therefore, maintain that we treat all our employees fairly, as captured in the details of our employment contracts, signed and legally binding.  This situation was no different. The most basic commitment we make – to our customers, our shareholders, and each other – is to conduct ourselves in an ethical, honest and respectful manner.”