Protest rocks ACCESS Bank over payment of ridiculous severance package to former staff

About 1,000 staff of ACCESS Bank who were laid off in the peak of coronavirus pandemic in 2020 on Wednesday stormed the Bank’s headquarters in Lagos, protesting ridiculous payment of severance allowances.

They demanded that their entitlements be paid completely by the Bank management without delay.

The former 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.

Protesters lamented that in year 2020 alone, ACCESS bank declared N102.3 billion profit, but paid them N30,000 per years of service.

In their placards, they wrote different inscriptions including: “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” among others.

One of the protesters, Ojo Abiola, said he was employed by an outsourcing firm named C & M Exchange on February 5, 2012 and was later moved to Workforce under Diamond bank due to the merger with Access bank.

Abiola said the termination of employment took place on May 1, 2020 when COVID-19 was biting hard.

According to him, the bank gave ‘restructuring’ as reason for the termination.

“The sum of N30,000 was paid per years of service, which was too small and was also not paid fully.

He explained that upon being sacked, he.was.paid N180,000 which was far less than the number of years he has served, decrying that as a famiiy man, he pays for.
rent, and cannot start any business with the money.

Abiola appealed to government and all relevant stakeholders to call Access Bank to order and make the right payment that corresponds with the work done.

“There are people among us who have worked with the bank for more than 10 to 20 years.

“They are also paid the same N30,000 per year, and we are all still short paid.”

Abiola said that the outsourcing firms are not saying anything about their predicament.

Findings, however, revealed that a meeting has been scheduled between management of Access Bank and the protesting sacked workers later in the day.