Wrongful Termination of Contracts of Employment in Nigeria a Case for Reinstatement of Private Employees
Chapter One of Wrongful Termination of Contracts of Employment in Nigeria a Case for Reinstatement of Private Employees
Introduction
A contract of employment is an agreement between two or more persons relationship established by contract, creating an obligation to do a particular thing in a contract of employment.
Meaning and Nature
The nature of contract of employment is the relationship between an employer and his employee comes into existence as a result of a contract between them generally referred to a contract of service, which means any agreement whether oral or written, expressed or implied, where by one person agrees to employ another as a worker and that other person agrees to serve the employer as a worker as contained in Labour Act
Generally, the contract of employment is an off-shoot of our general law of contract where the essential ingredients of the contract must be found present before it’s enforceability.
Offer and Acceptance
In every contract of an employment, there is a meeting of the minds of the parties before the enforceability of the contract. That is to say, an offer must be made by one party called (offeror) as in Callil v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. and the acceptance of the offer by the other party called (offeree) as in the case of Afolabi v. Polymera Ind. Nig. Ltd. This principle of offer and acceptance entails freedom of both parties to offer and accept unconditionally the terms of employment.
Consideration
In a contract of employment, where there is an offer and acceptance by both parties to the contract of services, there must be a consideration to furnished the contract, describing some rights, interest, profit or benefit occurring to one party or some fore-bearance detriment, loss or responsibility given, suffered or undertaking by the other. The above explanation was illustrated in the case of Currie v. Misa Therefore, consideration in the contract of employment is the salary and other fringe benefits which an employee earns on one part and services which an employer receives on the other part.
Intention to create Legal Relation
The relationship between an employer and employee is established by contract. Where both parties agreed on the terms of the contract of employment, creating a common intention of both parties to enter into a legal obligation that is contained in the employment agreement Rose and Frank v. Crompton
Capacity
The law is settled that parties to a contract of employment must possess the capacity of contract as recognized by law at common law. Certain categories of persons namely; infants, mentally infirm and disordered person and drunkards in certain circumstance are incapable of entering into a contract. This has been specified in our statute Nigeria Labour Act 2004.
In the case of an infant, the law forbids to engage a person (child) below the age of sixteen years from entering into any contract of employment except that of an apprenticeship. But the Act provides in Section 19(1) of the Labour Act 2004 that a child under twelve years of age can be employed only by a member of his family and even then, subject to his rights, agricultural, horticultural or domestic work approved by the Minister of Labour as stated in Section 91(1) (a) Labour Act.
However, Section 59 of the Act is an exception apparently to enable a youth receive his education in a technical school. In respect of working on a ship in general, Section 61 (3) of the Act provides that even when the non-adult is allowed to be so employed, he can work only on a vessel in which only members of the same class are employed.
Under Section 59 of the Act, the Minister of Labour has power to notify an employer in writing that the kind of work in which a young person is employed is injurious to his health, immoral or otherwise unsuitable.
Finally on mentally infirm and disordered person are persons who are insane, unsound minds incapable of being conscious and rational thinking on the obligation of the terms of the contract of employment.
Parties to a Contract of Employment
A contract of employment or services is entered into and enforceable by the employers and the employees, which automatically forms or constitute the major parties to a contract of employment in Nigeria Labour Law.
A person who is in a contract of employment with another cannot be transferred to another employer without his consent. This is in conformity with the provision Section 10 (1) of the Act which provides as follows
“The transfer of any contract from one employer to another shall be subject to the consent of the worker and the endorsement of the transfer upon the contract by an authorised labour officer”.