Some workers sacked by Access Bank last year, stormed the financial institution’s headquarters in Lagos on Wednesday, demanding full payment of their severance package.
According to Daily Trust, the protesters, who were outsourced by different companies including: Workforce Management Center, Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited, Integrated Corporate Services Limited, U-connect, Strategic Outsourcing Limited and C & I Outsourcing among others, were laid off in May 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They accused the bank of sacking over 1,000 staff without payoff, after declaring a profit of N102.3 billion.
The newspaper reports that the protesters carried placards with different inscriptions including: “Access Bank, where is your integrity”, “Access Bank, don’t let me unleash my family problem on you” and “Access Bank, pay us our entitlements” among others.
One of the protesters, Ojo Abiola, was quoted as saying that he was employed by an outsourcing firm named C & M Exchange on February 5, 2012, and was later moved to Workforce under Diamond bank, due to the merger with Access bank.
Abiola further said his appointment was termination on May 1, 2020, when COVID-19 was biting hard.
He said the bank gave ‘restructuring’ as reason for the termination.
He also disclosed that N30,000 was paid per year of service, which he said was too small and also not paid in full.
“I am a family man, imagine, a man without a job, life has not been easy.
“When I was sacked, I was paid N180,000, which does not commensurate with the number of years I have served the company. We want more, N30,000 cannot pay for house rent, shop rent and can’t even start up any reasonable business”, he lamented.
He appealed to government and all relevant stakeholders to call the bank to order and make the right payment that corresponds with the work done.
“There are people among us who have worked with the bank for more than 10 to 20 years.
“They are also paid the same N30,000 per year, and we are all still short paid.”
Abiola further alleged that the outsourcing firms are not saying anything about their predicament.
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