By Agency reporter

Friday, 21 Jan 2011

As the seven-day ultimatum issued to the management of Union Bank Plc by the Nigeria Labour Congress inches to its expiration, the bank has said that it is open to discussions with the labour group.

The ultimatum came as a reaction to the bank’s statement last Thursday that it was withdrawing recognition to two of its domestic trade unions.

The affected unions are Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, NLC affiliate and the Union Bank Association of Senior Staff, which is the bank’s in-house unit of the ASSBIFI-NLC affiliate.

Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the Managing Director, UBN, Mrs Funke Osibodu, said that even though the two parties were yet to meet on the issue, the bank’s management was prepared for talks.

“I am pretty sure that both parties will start some discussion sooner than later. Even their letter even makes it mandatory for us to just reply but to let them know where we were coming from. We have not started any talks yet but we are open,” she said.

Even as she stressed that the bank withdrew its recognition of the two unions only after it discovered that they were not duly registered as required by the labour act, she added that once the unions became duly registered, the bank would reverse its decision.

She stated, “UBAS without the main body is an association just like the union bank social association. It is the main body that draws out the trade union aspect and when that main body does not exist, UBAS is just an ordinary association like any other.

“If tomorrow UBAS becomes affiliated with a parent body that is registered, it will automatically become recognised. But until then, the management cannot continue to give them the status when we know that the status does not exist.”

Osibodu also explained that the 13 employees the bank dismissed recently were singled out not because of their involvement in unionism and the picketing of the bank, but rather for unprofessional practices

She noted, “It is not only 13 people that participated in the picketing of the bank. So if it was because of picketing, there would be a lot more people to be exited.

 

Source: Punch