By Olatunde Odebiyi and Mary Oshiokhamele
Disengaged-workers of Union Homes Savings and Loans, a subsidiary of Union Bank, over the weekend, staged a protest at the Union Bank Headquarters in Marina, Lagos State, to demand the payment of their entitlements of six years.
The protesters numbering 100 and comprising aged men and women, stormed the bank’s premises for over four hours on Friday, singing solidarity songs and chanting; “Union Bank Ole (thief)”, “We are hungry”, “Pay us our money”, “Union Bank is owing us”, “We are suffering”, “23 of our people are dead because of no money”, “Union Bank has been making us to suffer for the past six years”, “give us our right”, “help us Nigerians” and “many of us are sick”.
The aggrieved protesters also carried placards with inscriptions which included; “Union Bank pay us our terminal benefits as agreed with Union Homes Plc”; “Is Union Bank Distressed?; pay us our terminal benefit – Ex Union Homes Plc workers”; “Union Bank Plc, honour your transaction implementation agreement on staff issues with Union Homes Plc”; “Union Bank Plc, where is the N5B ASO saving paid to acquire Union Homes Plc: pay us our terminal benefits as per industrial and appeal court judgement”, “Union Bank Plc you have human blood on your hands: 23 ex-staff of Union Homes Plc are dead as at today and “Union Bank Plc honour your agreement on ex-staff of Union Homes Plc staff matters”.
Motorists and pedestrians slowed as they moved past the bank environment to catch a glimpse of the ugly scene, upon which the bank officials shut the gates.
Two officials who came forward to attend to the protesters, refused to speak with our reporter.
The protesters claimed that their employment was terminated for no reason in 2013 and they were not given any form of entitlement or allowance till date.
One Mrs Ikwuonwu Adanma, who suffers Kidney failure, said she would be able to treat herself if their entitlements were all paid.
“I worked with Union Homes, a subsidiary of Union Bank for 15 years to the position of a sub-manager. If not for God I would have been among those that are dead because I am a kidney failure patient and have no money for treatments because Union Bank is holding back our money. They have refused to pay us; the bank management is feeding well and I cannot buy my drugs.
Many of us cannot pay our children school fees, we cannot pay rent, we cannot even go to the market and buy what to eat; we are suffering and our predicament does not affect or concern them at all; they don’t care.
“When Union Bank was shaking, Union Homes saved them, but now that they are to pay us, they pushed us away and they are there in their air conditioned offices. Many of our colleagues are dead, both young and old, due to lack of funds.
“I am suffering, I have been battling with chronic kidney disease, I have been told to go and look for a donor, but I don’t have the money to look for a donor; I am using this opportunity to appeal to their conscience, they should fear God and bring an end to our suffering,” she said.
Another protester, Mr. Daniel Ogbonna, a driver, said he worked there for 13 years.
He said their employment was terminated for no reason, adding their entitlements were yet to be paid.
He explained that the matter had been taken to court, adding that the bank has said that they will pay but they were yet to.
“At the Industrial court, we defeated Union Bank and the court told them to pay us but they refused. They also carried us to the Appeal court and we won them again, but till date, they have not paid us.
“Since 2013, more than 20 of our people are dead because of this suffering. This is why we are here to tell the world to help us beg them to pay us our money or is it that they want all of us to be dead before they pay us.
“I don’t know how much I am entitled to but I know that if they give me my money it would alleviate my suffering because, since that 2013, I have not worked, I did not get another job. If I go for a job interview, they will say am an old man that they need young men; I am over 70. If they pay me my money, I will buy a bus or bike and I will start driving again to enable me to make money and earn a living for myself.
“We are using this medium to call on Nigerians and the federal government to help us and make Union Bank give us our money before we all die,” he said.
Another protester, who simply identified himself as Ademola, said; “We are here in protest for our entitlements since we were disengaged July 2013. We have to do this so that our voices will be heard because even the court judgement has said that our entitlements should be paid but sill Union Bank refused to pay us. Many of us are now aged, we spent our younger years working for this bank and it will be sad that 23 out of 600 of us have died because of financial needs. All we want is for the management to respond to us; otherwise, we will continue these protests until our entitlement is paid.”
He said the estimated amount for all of them to be paid should be about N1.7 or 8 Billon, which covers several packages and allowances.
“We have the backing of the Labour law and that of the Labour union in the country, because we were disengaged unexpectedly,” he said.
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