ACCESS BANK: ABRUPT 75% STAFF LAY-OFF IS STILL NEWS!

Dear netizens,

We crave your indulgence to consider the facts, and not just all the reactive and subjective Public relations, (P.R) & propaganda being heralded thus far by Access bank Plc et al.

The said news (contained in a leaked video from a "Town Hall meeting" that lately went viral about Access Bank laying off 75% of its staff is very factual and credible.

In the infamous video, Mr. Herbert Wigwe; CEO of the Access bank Plc, unequivocally sounded his determination to "rationalize staff" and this one point was apt.

The next event that unfolded, is what Access Bank and all its employment allies have gone all-out to suppress from public domain with alter impunity, the crafty use of of P.R, propaganda and whatnot.

Following the video-leak, precisely from May 1st- 3rd, 2020 staff members (well over 1,000 persons from over 300 branches) across Nigeria, were contacted on phone and via text messages and were informed that their employment with Access Bank have been abruptly terminated there and then! This dismissal was subsequently backed by electronic mails as well.

This abrupt job termination and notice was cleverly orchestrated, mastered and delivered with the COVID-19 emergence as the timely excuse. How lame an excuse for an organization that proudly declared its 2020 first quarter profits in Billions of naira and surprisingly (magnanimously)gifted Billions of naira to the Nigerian Government to cushion the effects of the ravaging COVID-19 within the country!

Let it go on public record that an employee reportedly fainted just after she got that mystery-layoff-phone- call. The trauma for teeming others still, has being unbearable, emotionally fresh and shocking. Many of these persons are yet to come to grasp with the shock and reality!

For fear that the viral video could set the pace for opportunists and capitalists in banking sector, the apex bank- CBN took a proactive step to issue a directive that no bank should resort to this measure.

Granted, in the light of events; Access Bank issued a statement maintaining they did not sack staff and thereafter it embarked on massive P.R campaign so as not to loose face. It still employs this!

Have you thought about it; why has Herbert Wigwe not gone on air to exonerate himself since the video leak and layoffs?
Would he- Herbert also deny altogether, not having known the 75% outsourced fellows employed by his firm; same people he earlier acknowledged in the viral video? Why does Herbert prefers to hide behind gimmicks, P.R and cheap propaganda?

Interestingly, his actions and inactions since the leaked video hit net, has not changed the facts and realities on ground a bit; it is yet to compound issues!

The sad reality is, that well over 1000 persons were laid off. The same fellows once referred to by Access Bank management via its internal correspondence as "Dear Humans of Access!" It is an undeniable fact that Access Bank slyly had its way with in purported layoffs- far from it! This is an all-time integrity issue! The facts to confirm these claims have been shamefully spilled by Access bank and co. All of it could be proven to right thinkers again and yet again!

CBN and NLC could and should launch and urgent inquiry into all of this drama. Labour lawyers should go TV and radio to pose all the nagging questions begging for answers. Better yet stakeholders, could invite allegedly affected staff members to come forward to a tribunal of some sorts as this is no abstract dispute. The reality is replete; workers are back on the streets!

Note worthily, in the email termination letters dispersed by Access bank allies, a promised payment of Two months pay was spelt out as salary in lieu. This is yet to be disbursed.

Many of the persons dismissed, had put in years of faithful and laborious service to the Bank to say the least. More so, most of these fellows had to toil on Saturdays and Sundays unending leaving their families behind, during its pre-and-post-merger- days with Diamond Bank. Covid-19 just n

ecessitated this remarkable fare well! How rational!

Expectedly, banks (contemporary banks) with outsourced staff members offer a path-way from associate (outsourced status) status to being converted as core staff but typically not Access Bank.

Whilst its contemporaries are throwing their weights behind their workforce at this dire times, Access Bank has deemed it just timely and fitting to terminate the employments of its own in the guise of COVID-19 distress; whilst spontaneously gifting monies to FG as aid! How philanthropic and apathetic! What a scale of preference!

Remarkably, many outsourced staff had laboured and sacrificed without promotion all in the guise of being outsourced staff. This has been Access Bank; et al convenient excuse of justifying exploiting its "75% outsourced staff" like mere write offs!


Herbert Wigwe called for a "rationalization" and "rationalization" he did package with his allies as a meritorious palliative for these discarded fellows who are now conveniently termed adhoc staff after pledging their unflinching loyalties over time!

The public should know this; this is yet another breaking news! A recall letter (with obviously vague content and terms) invalidating their abrupt termination was sent out to all (sacked staff) and sundry affected. This was sent probably after they figured they had flouted a labour law on the right timing of notifying an employee about their termination.

Let this go on record without micing words! The supposed letter of recall stated that all sacked staff have been recalled to their respective outsourcing companies and not Access Bank. It suggested we contact our respective outsourcers for clarifications largely because it was written in ambiguity.

True, the Bank did put out a notice/release to the general public that it was opening more branches on May 4th, 2020 from the shutdown branches, due to its COVID-19-lockdown-ease-and- containment-strategy.

The above action was cleverly and slyly executed so all the public (perhaps CBN and NLC) could see was that the bank actually had started to "recall" layoff staff members- that it had complied with the CBN earlier directive after all.

In reality, most of the staff who resumed at the billed-to-be-opened- May-4th-branches, were staff who were not terminated in the first instance and not the "purportedly recalled staff." All purportedly recalled but terminated staff are in reality INTERNALLY DISPLACED if you will. This still is our status now; terminated from Access Bank frontlines!

This is a critical point; Access bank and its allies are yet to pay up the purportedly- promised-2months-salary-in-lieu and or any severance package.
It is all important that the truth be told and not the cheaply conceived and poorly executed propaganda and P.R taking the front stage in the various media!

The Nigerian public and netizens should be informed of by this Access-Bank-and-co- needless-pointless-and- childish-drama.

Depositors should be aware of this subtle form of slavery being mastered minded by "these actors" and the sheer wickedness being exhibited by these employers and their allies. For the records, the outsourcers are VLA, ICS, WORKFORCE GROUP ETC. (Friends pls list any not captured in this tread)

This is a clarion call to whom it may concern! All we want is the right entitlements as proscribed by labour laws. We deserve the entitlements and rewards of our toils whilst with Access Bank and not this disheartening and traumatic drama. End job trafficking and exploitation. This inhumane. Don't treat us like we have the plague. Please pass this on until it gets to Access Bank and allies, the general public, CBN, NLC and the necessary stake holders to fix this!


#accessbankstopthepropaganda
#accessbankpayusoure entitlements #payour salariesandnothingless#

This is news

And

Contract Job is a modern day slavery.

This is Nigeria. Survival of the fittest and the connected.

I often wonder if profits declared by banks and many financial institutions are credible. I think CBN need to verify claims made in this story. I think if a company declared billions as profit for Year end 2019 and is yet to pay dividend, it can approach its shareholder to reduce such dividend or suspend it for reinvestment purpose in the face of current economic realities. I feel this is a revelation of various executive recklessness and mismanagement.

No job is permanent even Herbert Wigwes own

Yenefer:
And

I like the girl on your profile pic, can u introduce me to her instagram or something.

i have not yet smashed a Fulani girl before.

Access bank unjustly sacked me after spending my 8 years with them. I defended them wholeheartedly in my service years.

As a Customer Service Officer (CCO) I would protect them from customer bashing and attempted defamation in explaning and pacifying customers anger, even with all the illegal recoup of fund and debit entries on customers accounts E.g multiple ATM cards issuance fee, SMS alert fee( This one don't even calculate because you lose count of it) card maintenance fee, recoup of fund for non-existed transactions (ATM and online trasactions).

Access bank cares less about their Support staff who do virtually all the work in the bank(Customer complaint and enquiry, cash and tellering, Fund transfer,ATM services, etc) and yet discard them like rags when they need to make more profit.
It's still disheartening that over a 1000 of us(Support Staff) are laid off in MAYDAY and NO BENEFIT or SEVERANCE was paid to us in appreciation for the undiluted services throughout these years and they came back to deny that "NOBODY WAS SACKED" what a bank!!

We spent our days and weekends including Sundays to see that things were right. Especially during Post Diamond Bank merger and this is how we were paid?

I cant recount all here in writing but I think we would not relent justice is done.

Moderator pls KINDLY MOVE this topic to the front page.

That merger with diamond bank has done more harm than good.