By Nelson Manneh
Mr. Bernard M. Mendy, a former Management Accountant of the United Purpose popularly called Concern Universal, has sued the aforesaid Organisation for unlawfully terminating his contract.
According to the particulars of claim, the Plaintiff Mr. Mendy, was a Management Accountant working for United Purpose until his unfair dismissal on the 4th September 2017, when his service was unlawfully terminated. According to the claim, the Plaintiff was employed on the 18th of January 2016 on a purported fix term contract of one year (12 months), as a Management Accountant of the Organisation; that barely three months into the initial contract, the Organisation requested for him to sign another employment contract to replace the initial contract. It added that the Plaintiff complied and signed the new Contract dated the 1st March 2016; that the term of the initial contract was twelve (12) months whereas the term of the new contract dated 1st March 2016, was eighteen months.
According to the claim, the Plaintiff’s monthly salary was D31, 405.55 (Thirty One Thousand Four Hundred and Five Dalasis and Fifty Five Bututs); that the Plaintiff’s contract expired in August 2017 but the Organisation cunningly provided him with a draft renewal contract to sign. It added that in the said renewal contract, the term of employment was tied to the life cycle of a project that was meant to expire within four months. The Plaintiff averred that he refused to sign the said draft renewal contract because he knew at the time that the Organisation’s move to offer him the aforesaid four months contract, was a ploy to get rid of him, having had disagreement with his line-Manager, Maria Anderson (Finance and Administrative Manager, for The Gambia and Senegal).
