Access Bank ex-staff have taken to the street in Anambra State to protest against their relieve from work and alleging non payment of benefits.
The ex-workers were amongst the November 2020 batch, in the South East region that were laid off by Access bank.
The ex-workers protested and marched through major roads in the state and eventually converged at the gate of Basilica of Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha on Wednesday, 6th January, 2021.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, some of which read:
“Access Bank mystery shopping video, amidst Covid-19 Access Bank sacked three times in 2020”
“Over 300 sacked in South East on November 2020 without benefits”
“Access Bank at it again, sacking staff without lay-off benefits”
“Working Monday to Sunday no benefits for 10 years”
“Access Bank show us the mystery video clip you claimed you used to rate our performance and sacked us”
“CBN/NLC/ Bankers Committee come to our rescue”.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the ex-workers, Emmanuel Afamefuna Okoye, stated that the protest is not targeted at painting the bank in bad light but just to ventilate their grievances after long service years.
“I worked at Access Bank Main market branch Onitsha, I was among the over 300 Access Bank staff November 2020 batch dismissed in the five South East states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia without giving us tangible reasons and benefits for our dismissal.
“We are not protesting to paint the bank black or say anything negative but it is not fair for somebody to work for you for years and you ask the person to just go like that; somebody that worked for you for years, Monday to Sunday, which I am one of them”, he said.
“CBN gave its directive that no bank staff should be sacked especially at this COVID-19 pandemic but Access bank has sacked on three occasions in 2020,” he added.
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