- Lawsuit filed: Over 500 disengaged workers of OAUTHC have sued the hospital management.
- Alleged unlawful disengagement: The workers claim they were terminated without reason or due process.
- Reinstatement sought: The workers are seeking an order for their reinstatement and payment of all entitlements.
Over 500 disengaged workers of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex (OAUTHC) in Ile-Ife have taken the hospital management to court over alleged unlawful termination of their services. The workers, who were employed between October and December 2022, claim they were disengaged on January 31, 2024, without any reason given by the hospital management.
Through their counsel, Mr. Sola Ojutalayo, the workers are praying for an order of the National Industrial Court in Ibadan for their reinstatement and payment of all entitlements. At a recent hearing, four exhibits were admitted, and one of the claimants, Mr. Ogunleye Samson, testified as a witness.
The respondent’s counsel, Mr. Ejike Orji, objected to the admissibility of two of the exhibits, but Ojutalayo argued that they were duly signed and relevant to the case. Justice John Peters ruled that the exhibits were admissible, and the case was adjourned until February 11 for further hearing.
Interestingly, this is not the first time OAUTHC has faced issues with employee termination. In 2022, the hospital management was accused of conducting an illegal recruitment exercise, where over 2,000 workers were employed without due process .
