Labour threatens banks over mass sack

By ANDREW OJIEZEL

ORGANIZED Labour in the country have expressed their readiness to picket any bank that sacks its workers after the directives given by the Federal Government last week.

Speaking to journalists in Geneva, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress e (TUC), President Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, threatened a joint action against multinational companies over alleged tax invasion, especially non remittance of tax deducted from workers’ salaries.

Comrade Wabba said companies who have carried out mass sack failed in the collective bargain rules, adding that the sectors have no monopoly to breach the laws.

National Daily gathered that a summit has been scheduled between the organised labour and banks to address the sack of workers.The NLC said the mass sack will not be allowed and workers right which has been trampled on will be protected by the union.

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Likewise, NLC led by Comrade Joe Ajaero in Lagos, decried the sacking of workers, saying NLC has received with shock the news of the gale of illegal sacks of Nigerian workers in the banking industry. These banks have claimed the negative operating economic circumstances as being the reason for such unfortunate course of action at this time in the nation’s history when families are already at the threshold of huge deprivations of catastrophic dimensions.

“As at the last count, the banks alone have accounted in the last few days for throwing over Ten Thousand Nigerian workers into the unemployment market. The implication of this is that over 200,000 “Nigerians have been directly thrown into mourning as a result of these unfortunate actions of these banks. The roll call is frightening Access Bank over 1,000; Zenith nearly 2,000, Fidelity, Diamond, Skye and Eco Bank all following suit. Large numbers of workers to be thrown into the labour market simultaneously not only in a country but just in one sub-sector of the nation’s economy.”

According to Ajaero, “Whatever the reasons are; we believe that it is inhumane for the operators of the banks to descend on hapless workers whose average pay in the Industry does not amount to a significant portion of the overall industry overhead compared to what the directors and CEOs of the banks earn as their respective remunerations. We believe that the Banks ought to have looked at the perks and allowances of their top echelon and the directors to cut-off most of the fat that contributes significantly to the overhead of the average bank in Nigeria.