January 28, 2022
By: Mohamed Jalloh
In a civil matter at the industrial court division of the high court between Haja Alimatu Yebbi Abdulah a former employee of Freetown Cold Storage Limited and her onetime employer, (Freetown Cold Storage Limited) Defense counsel has cross examined plaintiff at the high court.
The plantiff Haja Abdulah brought a civil suit against her former employer in respect of terminal benefits amounting to $18000 that she deemed entitled to.
Defense counsel P.B FOMBA argues that the plaintiff was a contract staff and not a permanent employee and therefore is not entitle to any form of terminal benefit.
Defense counsel began the cross examination by asking plaintiff about her educational qualification.
I am a B.sc holder in economics with accounting as major
Do you understand how the co-operate world works?
I understand it fairly
Tell us what your exact responsibilities were?
I was responsible for the financial conduct of the company by drafting petty cash book and financial documents, conduct bank transactions, draft financial journals, paying salaries to employees at the end of every month, make statutory payments to other companies, ensure invoices sent to the company are honoured and I also dealt with other matters that are referred to me by the general manager.
Do you have any other additional responsibilities?
I perform any other duty assigned to me by the general manager such as human resource duties and when the auditors came I respond to queries and furnish them with information and documents. Any other issues that I cannot handle I refer them to the general manager.
When did you start working for the company?
Since May 2009.
What were your conditions of service?
My conditions of service were not written in black and white, but I enjoyed leave benefits, travel benefits and an increase in salary because the general manager was my friend.
If you were a permanent employee as you are alleging why did you refer to yourself as a finance contractor?
There was no formal nomenclature of my duties and responsibilities; I referred to myself whatever I decided because the company did not give me any written contract. In fact most of the workers of Freetown Cold Storage were not termed as employees, only workers of the bottling company were termed as permanent employees and I came with the estate company when the two companies severed.
What was your percentage NASSIT contribution as a contractor?
I have already passed the NASSIT requirement age, there is a schedule followed in deducting the PAYE withholding tax which is 5.5% that is applicable to contractors.
Plaintiff was represented by Esq. Mariama Dumbuya
Justice John Bosco Alieu adjourned the matter to the 17th February 2022 for further cross-examination of plaintiff by defense counsel.