A safety officer has emerged victorious in his wrongful dismissal case against a contracting company.
Delivering a written judgment last month, Industrial Court Judges Azeem Mohammed, Bindimatie Mahabir and Jillian Bartlett-Alleyne upheld the case brought by the Amalgamated Workers’ Union on behalf of Clint Attong against Junior Sammy Contractors Limited.
While the court ordered compensation for Attong, he requested that this newspaper withhold the amount as he fears that he will be a victim of crime.
According to the evidence in the case, Attong was hired by the company in mid-June 2017 and was assigned to a worksite on the Solomon Hochoy Highway extension project.
Although Attong was never provided with a contract of employment, he received his fortnightly salary and continued to perform his duties.
In December 2017, Attong was reassigned to another site in Point Fortin for two weeks.
After the period ended, Attong was told that his services would not be required for two weeks, as the highway site was closed.
When Attong reported for duty in January 2018, he was told that the site was still closed. However, he subsequently learned that the site was, in fact, operational and that another safety officer had been assigned to it.
Attong wrote to the company highlighting his concerns but had to seek the assistance of the union after he received no response.
The union referred the matter to the Minister of Labour, as it claimed that Attong was constructively dismissed as he never received a letter of complaint or a termination letter.
