By Victor Ahiuma-Young

ABUJA— Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, has expressed serious concerns over moves by management of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, NSITF, to recruit more managers into an organisation already bloated with managerial staff

The fresh recruitment moves, which, according to ASSBIFI, is being backed by Ministry of Labour and Employment, could worsen the already volatile situation as it was aimed at bringing in another 370 officers from the rank of managers and above into the service of the organization.

Labour

According to ASSBIFI, this move was confirmed by the Minister of Labour and Employment at a meeting on Friday, December 15, 2017.

In a petition to the management of NSITF, and copied Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, among others, President and Acting Deputy Secretary General of ASSBIFI, Oyinkan Olasanoye and Yekeen Shittu, said: “We have been informed by our NSITF Unit on recent plans by management of NSITF to employ another 370 officers from the rank of managers and above into the service of the organisation and this was subsequently confirmed by the  Minister of Labour and Employment at a meeting with him on Friday, December 15, 2017.

“As a responsible union representing Nigerian workers, we are not opposing generation of employment for Nigerians. Our concern is the present situation of NSITF, which calls for caution. Aside the implication of being top heavy in a 21st century organisation, NSITF presently has over 5,000 workforce.

“With an additional 370 staff and its consequent increase in remuneration, we are worried that, at this rate, the organisation may eventually be unable to meet the obligation for which it was set up. Kindly note, sir, that NSITF is presently funded mainly from the contributions by the private sector through Employees’ Compensation Scheme.

“It is, therefore, morally wrong for government, which is yet to contribute anything from the public servants, to now overburden the institution by not only insisting on employment where there are no vacancies, but that they must be at the management level.

“More importantly, NSITF has several long unresolved staff welfare issues, which we wish to place on records. These include: Improper staff placement arising from the previous lopsided recruitment.

‘’We, therefore, appeal for your immediate intervention to put the current unnecessary recruitment on hold to avert an avoidable industrial crisis and before it becomes an issue in the Finance sector. This nation cannot afford to let NSITF fail just a few months after the demise of a sister institution, National Economic Reconstruction Fund, NERFUND, for similar reasons.”