Sales manager sues Chinese firm over alleged racism, unlawful dismissal

A former sales manager in a Chinese company, CIG Motors Ltd., Mr Adebiyi Adeyemi, has filed a N1.6 million suit against the company for alleged unlawful dismissal from his job.
The suit with reference number NICN/LA/35/2018 was filed by Adeyemi’s lawyer, Mr Olawale Fapohunda.
The plaintiff in his application before the National Industrial Court in Ikoyi, Lagos on Tuesday is also suing Mrs Chen Xuixia, the company’s Chairman, for alleged racist attack on his person.
Adeyemi said that while being in the employ of CIG Motors Company, Xuixia “was always complaining and murmuring racial comments against me”.
He alleged that during one of the company’s monthly meeting on Aug. 31, 2017, after making his presentation, Xuixia, expressed total disgust in what she referred to as” shabby” presentation.
The plaintiff alleged that Xuixia verbally assaulted him, saying “Nigerians are not good for anything” and that “that is why most of my workers here are Chinese”.
Adeyemi claimed further that Xuixia fired him after he protested the alleged racial slurs made by the chairman against him.
The claimant is therefore, seeking the court’s declaration that the purported termination of his employment with the company through a letter dated Aug. 31, 2017 was illegal, malicious and wrongful.
Adeyemi is further asking the court to declare that the deliberate refusal of CIG Motors Company to remit his pension contribution from April 2017 to August, 2017 was unlawful and a violation of the provisions of the Pension Reforms Act, 2014.
He also seeks court’s declaration that the refusal of the defendant to remit the Personal Income Tax monthly deduction made from him to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Services was unlawful and a violation of the provisions of the Personal Income Tax Act, 2004.
No date has been fixed for hearing.