By Moses John
Abuja
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), yesterday suspended its plans to picket banks and other financial institutions over mass retrenchment.
The decision to suspend the action followed a truce between the leadership of the Congress and that of Nigeria Employers Consultative Association after a meeting that lasted about three hours in the Labour House.
In a joint communiqué signed by both NLC, NECA and the representatives of banks, the affected banks agreed to, with immediate effect, stop retrenchment of workers and allow a tripartite meeting to be convened by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, look into the matter.
The communiqué which was signed by Femi Omoniyi of First Bank, Hedima Manasseh, Sky Bank, Eloka Oruruo, Fidelity Bank, Kelechi Anukam FCMB, Jemimah Pelem Eco Bank, Segun Oshinowo, DG NECA and Ayuba Wabba, President of NLC, also agreed to enter an in-focus meeting between NLC, NECA and National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) to resolve especially the disengagement between Diamond Bank and is workers.
Also, it was agreed that FCMB, in particular, should meet with NUBIFIE to fulfill the legal requirements of discussion with the union on the retrenchment it carried out.
It was also resolved that banks, where unions were collecting “protection fees” without having unions on ground, should ensure that they set up their unions within 30 days from the date of the meeting.
Meanwhile, NLC also agreed to discuss the issues concerning banks without unions at the next tripartite meetings involving the Ministry of Labour, in view of making sure that all bank workers unionised and properly registered with the NLC.
