“Protesting Workers Are Not Our Staff”-Access Bank Reacts Over Unpaid Entitlements Saga

Access Bank PLC has debunked the news making waves in the media this afternoon, which claimed that the reputable financial institution’s alleged workers sacked last year stormed its headquarters in Lagos to demand for their complete payment of their entitlements.

The said workers, we learnt were sacked in May, 2020 after the noble Coronavirus pandemic crumbled the Nigerian economy.

The protesters who were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions like; “Access Bank, where is your integrity”, “Access Bank, don’t let me unleash my family problem on you” and “Access Bank, pay us our entitlements” accused the bank of sacking over 1,000 staff without compensation after declaring a profit of N102.3 billion.

Having heard this, www.naijasocietynews.com publisher, Gbolahan Adetayo, however made an effort to speak with the authority of the Bank which proved abortive.

After much efforts, a source from the Bank, who claimed to be anonymous confirmed to us that truly there was a demonstration by the self acclaimed workers of Access Bank but their protest was to dent the image of the Bank.

According to him, “the said workers are not our staff and anyone who want to prove it among them should just bring out the appointment letter given to him/her by Access Bank. The protesting staff were outsourced by different companies including: Workforce Management Center, Vic Lawrence & Associates Limited, Integrated Corporate Services Limited, U-connect, Strategic Outsourcing Limited and C & I Outsourcing among others. I am sure these protesters made that move just because they know that Access Bank is a big brand that will arrest people’s attentions whenever they mention it. Their claims is just like a security officer hired from a company to work at an estate where notable people resides, if there is any issue between him and his boss, he will definitely try to drag the notable personality into the matter so that his case can go viral. Immediately after they came to our office yesterday, we hastily called on the management of those offices and their representatives gathered at our headquarters for a close door meeting. We told them to rectify whatever issues they have with their sacked workers. According to what we could gathered from the protesters, it wasn’t as if they were not paid after the sacking but they are agitating that the payment was too low and I don’t think this is in anyway related to our Bank. Access Bank is not part of the story, they just want to dent our image. Please let’s be cleared that they are outsourced staff”, he said.