Sixty-one former employees of the Ministry of Public Works, Communications, Transport and Meteorological Services have lost a $150,000 claim related to their alleged unfair dismissal. The employees had submitted the claim to the Employment Relations Court in September 2023, seeking compensation for lost wages and other benefits, which included unpaid retirement funds and three months of paid leave after a decade of service, calculated from the date of their termination until the present.
Justice Usaia Ratuvili commented on the case, stating, “The pleadings as they are require comprehensive amendments so that the defendants (the ministry) can ascertain what they need to respond to concerning each individual plaintiff.” He further noted that the Writ and Statement of Claim in its current format was too vague and did not establish a reasonable cause of action for each plaintiff against the defendants.
Consequently, Justice Ratuvili decided to grant the ministry’s application to strike out the Writ and Statement of Claim, as it failed to present a reasonable cause of action for each individual involved. He expressed concern that allowing the case to proceed in its current form could result in embarrassment for the defendants and lead to unnecessary delays.