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By Bimbola Oyesola
Comrade Anthony Abakpa, President of the National Union of Banks Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE), came into the leadership of his union to stem the tide of the crisis rocking the union then.
Within the period, as he expressed in this discuss, the interim administration he led had to contend with many challenges that they were able to navigate through successfully.
Abakpa who was just re-elected President of the union speaks on issues surrounding contract staffing in the industry among others
Excerpts:
Reforms
Indeed, it has not been easy as both internal and external resistance to change by few self serving individuals constituted some distractions which slowed down the pace at when we would have loved to move with the reforms.
And of course the current administration was a product of reconciliation and peace. An interim administration that was saddled with the task of restoring peace and stability in our great Union and ensuring the objective of attaining the ultimate service delivery to our membership and the overall progress of our Union.
In the course of the tenure of this interim administration, we have had to contend with many challenges that we were able to navigate through successfully
Challenges
Among the challenges was the attempt by the National Assembly to designate our great Union as an essential services sector, the implication of which our Union would be stripped of its legitimate rights of picketing and strike, thus render us as toothless bulldog that could only bark without bite.
Another challenge facing the industry currently ongoing at the National Assembly has to do with the Bank Employees Act Declaration of Assets. While we appreciate the rationale behind the review of the act, which is to enhance accountability, transparency, integrity and good corporate governance in the banking industry, nonetheless, we are concerned with some aspect of the amendment bill which has tended to infringe on individual rights and liberty
Individuals who are not employees of Banks, such as children, spouses etc should not be subjected to any part of the act simply because of an affinity to an employee of a bank, especially on assets disclosures of such individuals who are not direct employees of banks.
Another contradiction in the act was the definition of outsourced workers in the bank as EMPLOYEES of banks. This is an issue that has given great concern to Labour as a whole, but in particular, the banking and insurance industry, which has agitated the minds of concerned outsourced workers in the banking industry as to what exactly is their employment status.
If, for the purpose of this act, outsourced workers are defined as bank employees, then that act should equally make them just that, EMPLOYEES of banks as full staff status, recognizing as it were, their current employment status being employees of outsourcing companies.
However, as Union we are able to achieve the concurrence of the tripartite partners (government, employers and the two sectoral Unions) in developing framework guidelines designed to address benefits and other related gaps in the employment of outsourced workers, which is currently in the process of being finalized for presentation before the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
COVID-19 pandemic
We have also faced challenges arising from the global outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic with consequential impact on businesses and altering the ways we work and live our lives. Work-from-homes and other new forms of work schedules has created its own challenge, especially relating to privacy of individual worker and his social and family lives.
Also, attempt were made by employers to capitalize on the COVID-19 Pandemic to embark on mass unilateral layoffs, but our timely response averted what could have been a widespread of job losses in the sector.
All the successes recorded could not have been possible without the fatherly role played by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress, especially Comrade President Ayuba Wabba for his prompt and timely intervention anytime we call on him on our many battles.
