₦airaland Forum

cabaye: see ginger o ..hope they will remember us before this coming Friday. I don't know why its so hard for Nddc to sponsor 1000 Niger deltans on ordinary local scholarships.smh

Ganzi,c am..

Nesta.iyamu@gtbank.com, funmilayo.olobodun@gtbank.com, caleb.odum@gtbank.com, haruna.musa@gtbank.com, funso.tooki@gtbank.com, recruitment@gtbank.com, training@gtbank.com

toptam: My sunday ws fyn

Nice 1..guess u know some pple resumed today..?well,we shud fold our arms while we chill..r u on any social network?

toptam: Lol... U gt me dr 4 a second

Yipee..m glad I did...lol..ow's ur Sunday?

toptam: No I hvnt, hv u?

Yes...I did...lol..












Lol..I dint.was just telling a white lie..LMAO.

toptam: Congrats dear!

Did u get an invte?

Inquisitive123: @toptam Some peepz dat did medicals after us just got invited..July 5 and 6th peeps #thowlou when did you do your medicals?

Ehhhhh..na wa o..

Inquisitive123: @mapist,@toptam,@tegills any info yet?

Nurrin yet o,my people..op y'all good..?

toptam: Wow!! It's all gud..n am doing great

nice 1..u avnt ffed back on twitter.#justsaying

toptam: Hey mapist my naughty frnd lol.pls wen did u do ur documentation?

Lol..ur not crz o.did mine Jan 9.ow's u?

folonso: Where is the venue for your panel interview? Mine is on Thursday at akin adesola

Victor,u r back.welcome..lol

Mildblue: @mapist tot u did be in Ts by now oo.anyways only one set finished on friday.another set had already last month.so still boils down to 2 empty clases.tot we wld b resuming togeda on monday oo.

Yea,was even supposed to resume b4 u bt,had 1 issue like dat wch was lerra rectified so,due to dis,I was drafted backward and dis made me at par wt dose dat did panel afta me.

tegills2: Omo dats making sense ..so d question I asked about d 2 sets was right afterall.#.Amen #

Yes o,t was.

tegills2: Daris God ooo# lool ..Enjoy ur weekend nd d sallah break

Just confirmed fm an insider dat 2 sets and not 1 set passed out on Friday(yestrday).so,make we dey expect o,by His grace.

tegills2: Daris God ooo# lool ..Enjoy ur weekend nd d sallah break

Lol..tanks jare Tegills2..ur too much..same to u too.

toptam: MaPist ur rili on my case o..lol. Y I go dey form 4 u.newyZ hw r u?hws d waitin goin?

Lol..case ke?anyways,ts tiring bt,i must say that,d rest(in my own case) has bn worthy.but,i wish to get bac to work ASAP.

tegills2: Good mrn. Yes thats true..I guess dey re to resume next week after sallah ..hopefully ours should come soon.

I just hpe we dont turn 40 b4 dat hapns.

tegills2: thats nice bruv....i guess everyfin is taking shape...

Pple r aiidy getting invtes to fill d void dey wud leave.set of June 5/6 Med..

toptam: Notin yet o n by d way its nt topman. Uhmmm ladyzii cld stil hlp us wit info I tink, she cld hlp us ask dose in T.s wen deir sets wld b finishin so we cld use our mind 2 calculate

Toptam,na wa o.u no dey holla person or r u forming posh for me ?

tegills2: @mapist..have they graduated yet..the previous set?

Learnt ts gonna be tomao.

funmies: lol..2014 I meant. 2013 was a mistake

M glad ts now clear..

Inquisitive123: Good morning Tegills,topman,mapist ....any new info from gtb?

Nope..none for now.

Ts tru na and she hasnt edited that thing.

funmies: I have my documentation tomorrow 23rd July 2013. Who is with me?

R u HIGH? 2013 or 2014?

misspatsy: ashewo work no dey pay her?

Lol...bad mouth...anyways,sup?

toptam: I've nt heard anytin...hv u?

No,ma'am.I avnt.guess dose who did meds b4 us r d 1s being mailed.I hope it gets to us b4 d mailing stops.

toptam: Dts false dey do not make use of shl!

Have u gotten an invte for TS?

tegills2: I learnt some Ts peeps re rounding off 25th of dz mnth..Just wanted to be sure if its a batch or 2..

Okies.also tot as much but,i only expected 1 batch to b off TS and not 2.

tegills2: Please who knows if 2 batches are passing out from TS july 25th??

For me,i dnt know.where u get gist?

Inquisitive123: Peepz dat did dere medicals 26th,27th...have you guys gotten a mail??

nope,i avnt and i did mine on d 27th.

superstar1: Guaranty Trust Bank: Would You Rather Work With Them? (A Victimised Former Employee Tells It All)
LIVING | EDITOR | JUNE 14, 2013 AT 10:35 PM


Guaranty Trust Bank (GTBank) is a bank that prides itself as a foremost Nigerian financial institution that fosters a culture of openness in which healthy debate is encouraged. Over the last two decades, the bank has grown from strength to strength thus making it a preferred institution for young Nigerians who aspire to become seasoned bankers.

Why join GTBank?

On the bank’s website, it justifies the reason to work for the bank by stating that “We are, first and foremost, a Learning Organization. We understand that being an employer of choice goes beyond the regular pay package. It involves listening, training, mentoring, a genuine concern for what people really care about, and acting upon them. In essence, it involves connecting to people’s hearts.” Superb! No better way to introduce this great institution to an aspiring or established professional in Nigeria’s banking sector.

The bank doesn’t stop at that; it goes on to say that “a career at Guaranty Trust Bank offers you a chance to make a difference in your life and the lives of people in your immediate community. Throughout our history, we have continued to help our staff realize their dreams, whilst creating opportunities for them to fulfill their personal and professional potential.”

Over the last 20 years, GTBank has been very successful with their people. The bank has been able to pass the vision of its founders down to every staff of the bank. Through their training consultants, Learners and Trainers and IBFC, new employees go through comprehensive entry training programs that span between 2-3 months getting fired up. They come out proud with their orange IDs, they believe so much in the bank’s vision, “we are a team driven to deliver the utmost in customer service.” While other bankers are hopping from one bank to the other seeking the next level, they strictly remain loyal. They strongly believe that a rolling stone gathers no moss. Ask anyone around about a GTBanker and they will tell you how they cherish and proudly defend the brand.

Exactly two years ago today, that story changed. GTBank lost its revered Managing Director and co-founder, Tayo Aderinokun. Tayo just like Fola Adeola was a leader who stood out in every aspect of the bank including the welfare of his staff. He was indeed the most respected CEO within and outside the bank. An award he later received from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2008. Tayo’s demise ushered in a new leadership in the bank, one that appears determined to change what hitherto was a chance to make a difference in the lives of its people and that of those in their immediate community.

On Thursday 23rd May, 2013, GTBank reduced itself from an institution highly regarded in banking sector as the most respected corporate bank in Nigeria, renowned for both its professionalism and high ethical standards to a callous employer of labour. It decided to tow the path of ignominy by unjustly sacking over 100 staff of the bank.

The bank was quick to go to press to state that it had sacked 100 and promoted 500. What the bank did not tell was how it carried out its exercise and if it fulfilled all obligations as required by law. http://www.punchng.com/business/money/gtbank-sacks-100-workers-promotes-500/

Reasonable Notice

To start with, where in the world do you notify people of your decision to sack them with their inability to log in to their various systems at work? Logging in to your computer system to commence the day’s operation at work was not a celebrated activity in GTBank until Segun Agbaje decided to change the face of banking that blessed Thursday. There couldn’t have been a more befitting and professional way of telling someone who had diligently and effectively worked in your institution for years that his/her services were no longer required. So many people who had saved personal items such as training materials and notes on their systems could not access their documents and files. Why? It was time to go. They were suddenly advised to contact the Human Resources (HR) department. An Assistant Manager in the head office wept. What brought tears to his eyes wasn’t the sack but the way they were dispersed from an institution they lived for like lepers. The bank was even kind enough to tell another lady who was bitter because her team met their budget for the financial year under review during her appraisal to put a new person through.

So much genuine concern for indeed helping their staff realize their dreams, whilst creating opportunities to fulfill their personal and professional potential. In the words of a Deputy General Manager who left GTBank some years back to join another top bank, “GTBank just cheapened its staff”.

The most pertinent question to then ask is why did GTBank decide to sack some staff? With the Lamido Sanusi tsunami that swept away some CEOs in the banking industry, came massive retrenchment of bankers. Thousands were laid off in defunct banks like Intercontinental and Oceanic with the new interim management teams claiming they had to downsize in order to put these banks back in healthy operation. Their reasons to some extent were valid. However, considering GTBank’s recently declared PBT of N100B, the issue had to be something else, may be performance.

The decision to sack was made after the bank’s appraisal of its staff where those who had low scores (B) were told to leave as directed by Segun during the appraisal meeting. What he failed to address was the lingering issue of victimisation and subjective appraisal by team leaders and bosses who have become tyrants in the bank. Most of these bosses hold on to personal grudges and flex their muscles only during the appraisal of their direct reports. While some of them use this as a tool to show superiority, others just do this to slow down the growth of their staff supposedly in line with Segun’s cost cutting strategy.

It was thus no surprise when some of these heads, having scored their staff so low, tried to reach out to the affected ones claiming they never expected the MD to instruct a sack of those with low scores. Now if you honestly know your team member does not deserve a B, why score him that low? If you knew Segun would erratically decide to sack, would you have honestly given the same scores? Would you consider the appraisal as fair and objective?

Most people in GTBank today grew under Tayo. There was instant reward for productivity and performance. Suddenly things changed, some employees have spent 5 years on a particular level and yet have high scores during their appraisals each year. The bank has resorted to quota system where a certain number of possible promotions (determined by the MD) is allotted to various groups within the bank. The Group Heads often claim their hands are tied, what about their mouths? They surely are following the Yoruba saying that once the mouth has tasted “dodo” (profit sharing), it certainly will reject “ododo” (the truth).

In the face of Segun’s high-handedness, the head of HR’s meekness and the absence of unions in the bank, where does an aggrieved GTBanker get able and due representation for fairness and justice assuming he or she is a victim of harassment, bullying and victimisation? The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees should ensure that all bankers join the union with emphasis placed on the need for support in the face of such unlawful dismissals. How can you sack without notice in writing? “At common law, it is implied that that either party may terminate the contract by giving reasonable notice to the other” Omehia (2011) “Dismissal in Nigeria Labour Law” pp 55.

The principal legislation on employment matters in Nigeria is the Labour Act which was enacted in 1971. The most common method of terminating a contract of employment is by the delivery of a written notice of termination of the contract on the opposite party. While the bank may claim that monetary compensation was made in lieu of notice, it came 8 days after the termination of contract. The bank failed to write to affected staff stating their severance package. Besides the narration that comes with SMS notifications for credits into account, no affected staff has a letter stating what s/he is entitled to after several years of diligence and commitment. On what grounds were those calculations made? Did it consider the length of service? Did it include benefits up to the last day of employment? Is it enough to advise them to resign voluntarily? Preposterous!

The Nigerian Court of Appeal has held that “in the absence of any definite agreement between an employer and his employee stipulating the period of notice for employee’s employment, the Court will proceed to consider what period of notice is reasonable”. Certainly not between 1-24 hours! There have been so many cases of similar dismissals arising from the MD’s spontaneous reaction to matters beyond the control of employees in question.

One of such was the unjust dismissal of a Deputy Manager, whose 10 year GTBank career was cut short few days to his wedding due to the inability of the bank’s customer to pay down on a loan that was presented to the bank’s Management Credit Committee (MCC). Be informed that the MCC is responsible for reviewing and approving all credits that are above the approval limit of the MD as determined by the Board. Its members include the MD who is the Chairman while the secretary is the head of the bank’s Credit Administration Unit, other members include all Divisional and Group Heads. This fellow was just a victim of power play or how else do you explain his dismissal from the bank for a credit that was approved by the MCC. The fact that his team was highly profitable was discounted for such erratic decisions that now characterise the Criticized Asset Committee (CAC) which is responsible for the assessment of the risk asset portfolio of the Bank. This and many cases have become the norm in GTBank. But who will come to their rescue? HR or NUBIFIE? A notification on the bank’s intranet that a staff’s customer has been listed on the CAC list sends fear down the spine of such staff. He simply doesn’t know if that will be his last day at work.

In all of these, let it be known that government is a reflection of the society. While most Nigerians blame and attack government assuming they are totally different people from the rest of us, so much injustice occur around us every day by people in positions of authority. Some of these people eventually find their ways into government. Will the situation change? It will be no surprise if GTBank does respond with a well written orange article to refute what has been stated here but there are over a 100 people willing to share their stories of subjective appraisals.

Rest in peace Tayo Aderinokun, we all miss you.

Junaid Korede Agbabiaka (JKA)

SOURCE

I av only 1 thing to text..that is,if as a worker,u truly know ur worth and you av worked for 5 years,u get sacked and u begin to weep,den,u must av a maggot or maggots in ur brain.for a high paying bank like GT,working 5 years with dem is more than enuff to start life if you av good plans.1 is sacked doesn't mean dats d end.its only an eye opener and if u know ur worth,u'd move on cos,now,u'd av gotten experience and gerrin anoda job won't be as hectic as t ought to.Also,for ur savings of 5 years,u cud stl start a nice biz dats why d moment u get a good job,u shud av a nice biz proposal on ground as a back up plan.dat is why it hurts me so much when pple cry cos of dey lost dre jobs.tho,it hurts but,dre r jobs arnd so,why cry over just ONE?One thing I av learnt personally is that,most high ranking officers in dese coys lack saving habits due to their high cost of living.We just v to learn ow to determine our own destinies and not let these soul-called coys determine dem for us.MY 2 KOBO.

Just send me a mail and I ll reply u.my email is on ma profile.

toptam: Mapist y r u jst on my case ehn! Lol

Lol.u know,I shoot trouble so,get rdy for dat at TS..HEHEHE..