By VICTOR  AHIUMA-YOUNG

NATIONAL Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Intuitions Employees, NUBIFIE, has issued a-14 day ultimatum to the management of First Bank Nigeria Plc to compel Insourcing Limited, one of its service providers, to allow its workers to freely join union as enshrined in the Nigerian constitution to avoid the wrath of organised labour.

NUBIFIE, in a letter to the Group Managing Director of the Bank, dated March 19, and copied to Controller Lagos office, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity; Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 11; President of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC; Director of State Security Service, DSS, among others, warned that by April 2, if nothing positive came from the bank, labour would take any necessary action.

The letter is entitled An attempt to undermine existing industrial peace at First Bank of Nigeria Plc, by Insourcing Limited, disregard to union rights/14-day ultimatum.

The union said: “You will recall that our union had been engaging your management and that of Insourcing Limited with series of correspondences over the overwhelming desire and intention of the workers to exercise their legitimate rights to belong to their union,

which processes had been concluded by both the workers and our union since 2011.

“We have written series of letters to the management of Insourcing Limited, in line with an established tradition of the union’s inclusiveness approach to unionise our members in Insourcing Limited, who are out-sourced to your bank.

“Regrettably, all our correspondences, meetings, coupled with the intervention of Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity to resolve the issue, reached a brick wall.

“In view of these developments and in order for the current industrial harmony at First Bank Plc to be sustained, we insist that you compel the management of Insourcing Limited to conclude the unionisation process with our union, within 14 days from the date of this letter.

“If the matter is not concluded within 14 days, the union should not be held responsible for any action organised labour would take.”