For eight years, Oludare Babalola, an Oyo resident, worked in different roles at De Harry International School, Port Harcourt, managed by its owners, Harrison and Deborah Osaigede.
Babalola told FIJ that his job at the school was evolving, as he was both an administrative and non-administrative staff member at different points.
“While I was with De Harry, I worked between departments. I was a teacher and principal at different points,” Babalola told FIJ.
But despite him and other staff in the school getting the job done, Babalola said, the school owners had one flaw: they would withhold the pay of anyone who resigned from the organisation even if they did it in line with the school’s exit terms.
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“In the school’s exit contract, anyone resigning must give the management a three-month notice. But despite this, the management ensures that people who leave do not get their pay,” Babalola explained.
“Deborah Osaigede, the owner’s wife, would say that anyone who has left the organisation does not deserve any pay, even though they’d worked for it before leaving.
“It is not that the money is not there; she will just tell you that they will not pay you, and there is nothing you will do about it. On numerous occasions, she has arrested a lot of our staff because they were demanding their money.”
Babalola told FIJ that he gave the management six months’ notice ahead of his resignation in December 2022, but they have decided to hold on to his N197,000 to date.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we held online classes for students, and the school agreed to pay us for it. The period was two and a half months, but due to the poor response from the parents, we agreed with the management to pay for one full month,” Babalola said.
“This lesson fee accumulates to N106,000, and then my December salary in 2022, after I had resigned, was not paid. Although my son used part of it as school fees for the second and third terms, the school still owes me some N91,000.
Some of Babalola’s chats with the owner of the school, who doubles as the director.
“I have attempted to chat with the owner of the school in Port Harcourt, and he is not even responding. I even tried to speak with the chairman of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), but nothing has been done.”
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When FIJ contacted Harrison Osaigede, the school’s director, via a WhatsApp message on Thursday, there was no response from him despite confirmation that our message was delivered.
However, Babalola said he received a message from the director on the same day FIJ contacted him. In this message, Osaigede asked that his ex-staff give him till September to clear the debt.
In this message, Osaigede asked that his ex-staff give him till September to clear the debt.
“I sincerely apologise for the delay in responding to your balance payment. I promise that I will pay you everything you are entitled to. I’m sorry for the delay; there have been some challenges, but I don’t want to use them as excuses,” Osaigede told Babalola.
“I didn’t know what to tell you all the morning, afternoon and evening greetings(sic). I didn’t want to make another promise that I might fail to keep, that was why I asked you to give me some time. I will settle your payment on or before the end of September.”
“I have communicated with Mr Babalola,” Osaigede respond to FIJ’s second message on Saturday.
FIJ also contacted Bob Manuel, the school administrator, who said he became aware of the issue recently but would escalate it to the school’s management.
“Oludare Babalola just notified me on this matter recently. I will escalate it to the owner of the school who makes the payments and whom he (Mr Oludare Babalola) has been dealing with since his resignation in December 2022,” Manuel told FIJ on Thursday.
The post Port Harcourt Couple Denies Ex-Staff Who Served for 8 Years N197,000 Pay Since 2022 appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.