Judge finally orders SLPA to pay redundant workers
July 14, 2015 By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
As the matter of 184 aggrieved former workers of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA) finally came to an end yesterday, successful litigants sang songs of praise to God as they celebrated the ruling of Justice Patrick Hamilton. The judge ordered the management of SLPA to pay fullbenefits and compensation to the aggrieved workers.
Justice Hamilton said the matter had been in court for a very long time and that on 23 March, 2015 counsels for both parties met in chamber to negotiate and agree on the amount due to the former dock workers, and that the outcome of the meeting was good.
He said he then ordered an independent body, inclusive of solicitors of both parties, representatives of the plaintiffs and defendant, the court clerk and an officer from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, to do a final calculation and present it to the court.
“I have perused the document but there are certain names which were not mentioned in the document that was submitted in court. I hereby order that those whose names are in the document be paid their benefit in full plus five million Leones as compensation to the plaintiffs,” ordered the judge of the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone.
Meanwhile, Morlai Conteh, who is leader for the retrenched dock workers and himself a litigant in the matter, told Journalists that they welcome the ruling and are very happy because justice has taken its course.