Sacked Bank Workers Protest Non-Payment Of Entitlements

Sacked workers of Mainstreet Bank Plc in Lagos on Tuesday protested the nonpayment of their entitlements by the bank and accused their union leaders of complicity in the matter.

The workers, who were sacked on June 22, blocked the gates of the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) and accused their leaders of being insensitive to their plight.

The spokesperson of the protesting workers, Mr. Eyo Usanga, who addressed the protesters at the entrance of union’s office in Alausa, said more than 800 workers were sacked without benefits.

“Some people had worked for about 30 years and the bank terminated their job without any reason.

“The management of the bank said they will pay only N30,000 as benefit which is not acceptable, “ he said.

Usanga said that the workers had been directed not to sign the acceptance letter terminating their appointment till their complete benefits were paid.

He said it was worrisome that after the Central Bank of Nigeria and Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria gave the assurance that the bank was fit and would not sack anyone, it still went ahead to sack workers.

He alleged that since the workers were sacked, ASSIBIFI was not communicating effectively to the people on how their entitlements would be paid.

Mr. Michael Akintola, one of the sacked workers, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the bank was formerly AfriBank, adding that they were absorbed in August 2011 as workers of Mainstreet Bank Plc. after the acquisition of the former.

Akintola said that the bank’s management had promised to handle their case. “We are shocked that when they decided to sack us no reason was stated in the letter.

“Many of us did not plan for this and it will affect our children’s school fees and other family needs,“ he said.

However, Mrs. Oyinkan Olasanoye, ASSBIFI’s Deputy President, said that the union had been speaking with the workers on the outcome of the tripartite meetings held with the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu.

Olasanoye said that the tripartite committee had proposed to pay the workers their gratuities but the workers were insisting that the management should pay them “redundancy entitlement” first.

She appealed for calm and urged the workers to allow the committee to take a decision that would benefit them.