UAP lawyer to submit amended defense statement in ongoing employment dispute case

JUBA – The defense lawyer for UAP Insurance Company is expected to submit an amended defense statement to the Juba High Court on Thursday, following an adjournment on Wednesday.

The High Court postponed proceedings after plaintiff advocate Marko Reech submitted an amended pleading. “Today was set for the submission of the amended pleading or amended plaint, and we have already submitted,” Reech said.

Reech explained that the amendment was necessary to include details missing in the initial statement, such as the plaintiff’s employment start and termination dates.

“This amendment is on the statement we submitted last time; there were some areas which we did not mention in accordance with Section 35 of the Civil Procedure Act,” he confirmed.

Following Reech’s submission, the judge adjourned the court to allow the defense time to respond. “The other party, or the opponent, is given time to go and reply or submit an amended statement of defense, so the sitting is tomorrow,” Reech added.

The case stems from a dispute that began in October last year when UAP and its national employees clashed over allegations of unequal treatment and wage disparities between national and foreign expatriate staff.

This led approximately 70 national staff members to stage a sit-in strike, which temporarily halted UAP’s operations.

UAP subsequently dismissed at least ten national staff members who had called for improved pay, a move that went against an order from the Ministry of Labor demanding the reinstatement of the dismissed employees.

The UAP National Staff Association (UNSA) later initiated legal action against the insurance firm over the dispute.

Luka Nyarsuk Nason, Chairman of the Labor Advisory Council, issued a letter on September 29, 2023, instructing UAP management to suspend all administrative actions taken against the staff involved in the dispute.

In October, the Ministry of Labor delivered a ruling in favor of the national staff, addressing grievances about UAP’s pay structure and treatment of local employees.

Mary Hillary Wani, the Ministry of Labor’s undersecretary, directed UAP to reinstate the ten dismissed national employees and nationalize positions currently held by UAP staff working in Kenya.

However, according to information obtained by this outlet, UAP has yet to implement the Ministry of Labor’s directives.