Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has issued a 16-day ultimatum to banks who were alleged to have retrenched workers without following due process.
Deputy General Secretary of the NLC, Chris Uyot, said in Abuja yesterday that letters have been sent to the affected banks to either reverse the decision or be prepared for picketing of their branches by Labour nationwide after the expiration of the ultimatum.
The countdown to the ultimatum begins today, 16th June, 2016.
The letter to the banks reads in part: “I have been directed to inform you that, it has been brought to our notice by our affiliate union, the National Union of Banks, Insurance, and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) that your bank is one of those that have arbitrarily sacked a large number of workers in recent times contrary to laid down procedures and the country’s extant labour laws.”
The Nigeria Labour Congress also stated that it is of great concern to the central labour body that the retrenchments were carried out without recourse to several correspondence, including letters and circulars sent to the affected banks by the union to retrace their steps in line with best practices in labour relations and laws of the land.
“By the letter, we are giving your bank 14 days ultimatum commencing from Thursday, 16th June, 2016 to recall all the sacked workers or face industrial action, which may include ensuring that your bank and all its outlets are closed for business nationwide,” it stated.
But the Director General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), Olusegun Oshinowo, has urged labour to tread the path of caution, saying disruption of the activities of the banks will ultimately lead to destruction of the nation’s economy.
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