Maurice J Gomez, a former employee of the closed Observer Company, publisher of Daily Observer Newspaper has filed a suit against his former employer at the Kanifing Industrial Tribunal seeking D193, 975 for unfair dismissal.
Mr Gomez is seeking recovery of seven years and seven month salary reduction and recovery of unpaid social security contributions.
According to particulars of case before Magistrate Nche Blessed Abergrie of the Kanifing Industrial Tribunal, the claimant wants a recovery of the sum of D126, 000 as seven years and seven-month salary deduction, recovery of the sum of D8, 775 as 13 months unpaid social security contributions and recovery of D2, 200 as 11 days work for the month of May 2016 prior to his termination.
He is also claiming for the recovery of the sum of D27, 000 as six-month salary for unfair dismissal, D30, 000 as editor responsible for all the columns for 3 months.
He is also claiming for cost, 25 per cent interest and any other order the Court deem fit. The case proceeded yesterday with the testimony of first defendant witness, Yunus S. Saliu, human resource and marketing manager of the defendant, Daily Observer.
In April last year, officials of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) stormed the Observer building and ordered the staff to cease operations on closure order following the Company’s failure to tax amounted to over D17 million.
The daily publisher was later open and in June of the same year, it was permanently closed after settlement negotiations failed between the management and the GRA.
The plaintiff Mr. Gomez was represented by lawyer Ebrima Gaba Cham while the defendant Daily Observer was represented by Gibril Bah.
Mr. Saliu in his testimony confirmed that Mr. Gomez was a former employee of the Daily Observer Newspaper. He said he came to know about Mr. Gomez’s issue when the Company’s then managing director Pa Modou Mbowe called him (Saliu) and other managers to a meeting in his office.
He said at the meeting, Mr. Gomez came with a man whom he ((Gomez) introduced as a member of the labour union. He said when Mr. Gomez presented his claim to the former managing director of the Company; he (managing director) asked him what he has done to arrest the situation before his termination in 2016 but Mr. Gomez said he made series of calls and writing to the directors.
Mr. Saliu said his former boss told Mr. Gomez that there is nothing he could do about the matter since he was not the one who employed or dismissed him.
The case continues.
By Amadou Jallow
I never knew Garba Cham of the Labour Union is a lawyer.