By Akinwale Kasali
Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, has condemned Access Bank and its urbane Group Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe, over plans to sack some of its workers.
The bank had announced plans to sack its workers and also slash the salaries of some of its workers as a result of the negative impact of the Coronavirus outbreak. It also plans to close down hundreds of its branches nationwide.
Over the weekend, some workers had, allegedly, started receiving their sack letters by e-mail. Unconfirmed reports allege that one of them, a pregnant woman collapsed on receiving her sack letter.
Wigwe, the GMD of the bank, had said that apart from the mass sacking, which would affect about 75 per cent of the bank’s workforce, he would take the lead in having the largest pay cut of 40 per cent.
“I will be the first to take the hit and I’m gonna take the largest pay cut, which would be as much as 40 per cent,” he said.
But reacting on Sunday in a post on his Twitter page, Fani-Kayode accused the Bank of betraying its workers to appease President Muhammadu Buhari.
He recalled that Access Bank had donated N1 Billion to help the Federal Government combat Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Fani-Kayode wrote: “You gave 1 Billion Naira to the FG to fight Covid 19 and, the next day, you sacked hundreds of your loyal staff.
“You betrayed your workers and turned your back on them when they needed you most because you were more interested in your profits and appeasing Buhari. Access Bank SHAME ON U!
The magazine however recalls that the plans to sack staff and/or slash salaries is not exclusive to Access Bank. It cuts across banks all of which have been hit very badly by COVID-19. Most companies are also suffering the same fate. Many of them, including the CBN, have been operating skeletal services.
However, in the face of concerns raised by a number of people on the possible impact of sackings in banks, the CBN on Sunday, stepped in, and stopped banks from carrying out the exercise.
“Worse still you shut down 340 of your branches! With a stroke of the pen you have thrown thousands of people into unemployment at a time when they are already going through hell because of the lockdown and you have destroyed many families. Herbert Wigwe, how do you sleep at night?”
