The protracted civil case between the MRC and Momodou Lamin Jarju, ex-vice chairman of the MRC Workers’ Union and Alieu Faal, ex-member of the MRC Workers’ Union, last week resumed at the civil division of the High Court, before Justice Yaboah.

The case which was adjourned to the 25th February 2009, featured receipt of evidence from Mrs Katty Hill, human resource manager of MRC. She adduced that the main cause of dispute between MRC and the two plaintiffs arose after an instruction was passed by the management of MRC that no staff should bring in food for patients admitted in the wards.  

According to her, the act of bringing food into the wards, causes infestation of cockroaches in the ward which can result in breeding of other diseases. She said that correspondence was written to that effect and it was signed by all ward staff but only Momodou Lamin Jarju and Alieu Faal refused to signed it.

Amie Bensouda, counsel for the two plaintiffs, objected to tendering of the said letter, but her objective was overruled and it was tendered and marked as exhibit. The MRC human resource manager explained that the two plaintiffs, Jarju and Faal, encouraged other members of staff to bring food into the wards, and that their objection to the MRC rule led to the strike made by the MRC workers’ union.

She added that in response to the MRC worker’s union press release, the management of MRC issued their own press release and subsequently suspended the executive of the workers’ union.  Disciplinary hearing was conducted before the dismissal of the two plaintiffs, saying the two, Momodou Lamin Jarju and Alieu Faal, refused to appeal to the MRC director within the stipulated 24 hours in the staff code.

However, Amie Bensouda objected to the issue of staff code, which she said did not exist, thus the presiding judge adjourned the case for the said staff code to be photocopied in order to enable the counsel have a copy.