The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), has vowed to continue to clampdown on banks that still adamantly engage in mass sacking of their employees.
According to the union, the clampdown will include picketing of erring banks, stressing that no erring bank irrespective of how highly placed it is in the nation’s banking sector, will be spared.
The General Secretary, Comrade Mohammed Sheikh made the disclosure recently after the union succeeded in picketing branches of ECO Bank and Heritage Bank, saying the exercise was, “just a warning shot to all noncompliant banks.”
Sheikh stated that all banks that violated extant labour laws, workers’ fundamental human rights, and failed to conform to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s directive as contained in its 2014 circular and also ignored the Minister of Labour and Productivity’s directives, was within the union’s picket radar.
But according to him, Heritage Bank was among the picketed bank not for downsising, but for violating fundamental human rights.
“Heritage is a young bank aided by the financial muscle of acquiring the now moribund Enterprise Bank, whose staffs were fully unionised prior the acquisition. Our worry is the bulk passing between the management and the service providers, a development that informed the picketing,” he said.
“ECO Bank was, however, our first port of call because they had recognition for due process, made evident by their initial invitation of NUBIFIE for dialogue where we counselled that they complied with the industry’s rules. But while half way on the resolution course they effected the mass sack plot,” Sheik added.
He added, that no notice would be given to any bank next on the list of the banks that would be picketed, noting that government’s stance on the issue must be taken cognisance of, since Nigeria as a nation, was signatory to the International Labour Union (ILO) convention.
“Any bank that has carried out unilateral retrenchment without following the directive and advice of the Federal Government should be ready to receive us in their various offices without any prior notice,” Sheik said.
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