Visionscape Files Statement of Defence, Counterclaim to Suit Filed by Ex-employees

Visionscape, an environmental management company, said it has filed a statement of defence and counterclaim to a suit it claimed was filed by aggrieved ex-employees of the company, saying it has denied all allegations of unlawful termination of employment without payment of their entitlements by the claimants.

In a statement issued by its legal representative, Azuka Offiah, and made available to THISDAY, Visionscape prayed the court to dismiss the said suit, which it described as “entirely unmeritorious, vexatious and frivolous without any basis or foundation whatsoever.”

Offiah also noted that Visionscape had in addition, filed a counter claim for defamation, arguing that the said ex-employees had in the course of their protest and public interviews, made various defamatory statements calculated to disparage the counterclaimant in the estimation of right thinking members of the society.

According to him, these defamatory statements made by the defendants to counterclaim are to their knowledge untrue, derogatory and totally unnecessary. He explained that the said ex-employees were hired for a fixed term of one year only, to supervise the street sweepers within their areas of designation.

He said: “However, sometime in March 2018, the scope of Visionscape’s business activities was reviewed. As such, street sweeping operations were removed from scope of work of Visionscape and same was transferred to the Lagos State Government. Consequently, the positions of the ex-employees became redundant.

“Their contracts were terminated in accordance with their contracts of employment. They were fully remunerated as contained in their respective contracts of employment and were given all their entitlements. No outstanding emoluments are due to them.

“At no time were they assaulted in any manner whatsoever by any Visionscape staff, nor were their human rights violated. We take defamation very seriously and we have filed an order directing these individuals to pay damages for the vexatious and malicious statements aired on national and international television stations”.

Offiah added: “Furthermore, our order instructs these individuals to cease and desist from making further slanderous and false allegations through the media and in any other manner howsoever against Visionscape.”