Ex-employee of French government issues ultimatum over benefits

A former employee of L’Alliance Francaise De Kano, has issued a two week ultimatum for the French to settle his outstanding benefit and salary arrears of N3, 641,625,00 or face legal action.

The former staff of the French cultural center in Kano, Mr Alain Service accused his former employer of flagrant refusal to settle his 22 months salary arrears and other benefits.

In a letter of Complaint, issued by Al-Iman Attorneys, solicitors to Mr. Alain and made available to The Guardian recently, the former employee said failure of the French embassy to respond or meet the deadline in respect of the contractual rights and obligations from the date of receipt of the claim, he would be left with no option than to explore all legal avenues.

The petition signed by Barrister Abubakar Muhammad noted that the French Government has already been served with a dispatch of the petition on behalf of Mr. Alian.

According to the dictates of the petition, the Embassy was reminded that some of the employees with similar complaints were paid 17 months’ salary arrears, excluding Mr Alain Service, who worked with the establishment for 22 years. Mr. Alain was said to have resigned from the services of L’Alliance Francaise De Kano, due to non-payment of salaries.

In the petition Mr. Also claimed “the sad development of non-payment of salaries, informed the decision of our client to resign his appointment on September 23th, 2017.

“It is regretting that since then, he engaged the Counsellor for Co-operation and Cultural Affairs and the Chairman, Association of Alliance Francaise, Kano, Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu to respect the sanctity of the contract but to no avail.

“However, due to the security and social economic insurgency, the Embassy declared the Northern Nigeria as the red zone, which greatly affected the Alliance Francaise existence, including the welfare of employees, as well as their client, where the Cultural Centre of the Embassy owe their employees 17 months’ salary arrears. 

“But to our client’s dismay, the most Civilized Nation in the World resorted to evading its contractual rights and obligations in terms of entitlement, benefits and salary arrears for almost 22 months by requesting the Chairman of the Association in the initial contract signing stood and represented the Counsellor for Co-operation and Cultural Affairs of the Embassy.’Mr Alain Service was employed in 1995 as French language teacher by the Alliance Francaise of Kano and subsequently appointed as acting Director in September 2002.