Sacked journalist drags Equinoxe to court, claims 21m FCFA

Former Equinoxe journalist, Thomas Awa Junior has dragged his former employer to court, claiming the sum of 21,470,867m FCFA (twenty one million four hundred and seventy thousand eight hundred and sixty seven francs) for illegal dismissal.

The matter which is being heard by the Wouri high court was for the sixth time adjourned to September 3.

Awa is accusing Equinoxe TV and radio for terminating his duties without due compensation. Since the beginning of the court hearing, the accused and its counsels have never answered present, pushing the court to continuously adjourn the case despite authentic documents presented before the court.

At the close of last week’s hearing, the plaintiff described the court’s action as sheer manipulation. According to him, the judge would have proceeded to punish Equinoxe for contempt of court. To Awa, the fact that the accused had received the summons but refuses to turn up amounts to contempt of court.

Awa claims that he has been sick without a job and his children need to go to school in September. He vowed that despite all the embarrassments, the case will not end there. He disclosed that about 28 other persons have been dismissed from Equinoxe in the same manner.

Awa got employed at Equinoxe in 2008 and in 2011; he had a malaise while he was on air. After months of hospitalization, the director, Theophile Mbiamou asked him to steer clear from the radio.