Polaris Bank Contract Workers Protest Unfair Salaries
*Union Kicks, Says Act Unprofessional
There was a mild drama, which disrupted business operations of Polaris Bank, yesterday, as contract employees demanded salary increases, threatening to embark on strike.
According to the guardian.ng, the drama, which went viral across social media platforms on Tuesday, started when the bank decided to grant a substantial salary increase of 100 percent to full-time employees due to inflation and rising fuel prices, triggering discontent and agitation among its contract staff.
Feeling sidelined, the contract staff in the video, voiced their frustration over the glaring disparity in compensation and the lack of growth opportunities within the organisation.
They argued that despite performing the same duties as their full-time counterparts, they have continued to receive insufficient compensation.
Considering the socio-economic challenges they were also faced with, they demanded a salary increase of 100 percent, in line with the raise given to full-time staff in recognition of their contributions and dedication to the bank.
When asked about his take on disruption of activities, the National President of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), Anthony Abakpa, kicked against the move, describing the act as unprofessional.
He said they should have called the attention of the union to engage the lender constructively. He said: “That is not the way to go. The law does not support that idea, they erred on their part by going on a rampage. We are already talking with the bank to find out what steps they will take given the hardship on the ground. What the workers have done is not professional because there are better ways to approach it rather than taking laws into their hands. It is not healthy.
“At the point of entry, everybody signed a code of conduct and if violated, it will not be too healthy, except if we intervene quickly. We are trying to pacify the bank to put a human face to it and see how they can intervene. The increment was done yesterday (Monday) and those people who were not affected were saying why should it be for only full staff.”
An email was sent to a member of the media department, Rasheed Bolarinwa, asking if there were salary increase plans for the contract workers but there was no response at press time.
Source: guardian.ng
