By GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE
BRANCHES of the Union Bank Plc in Edo State were locked against customers, yesterday, by the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, acting on a directive from its national headquarters to picket the bank over the de-recognition of workers’ unions by the bank’s management.

At most of the branches of the bank visited by Vanguard in Benin Metropolis, the offices  were under lock and sealed by the state branch of the NLC led by Mr Anthony Ebiogbodi.

In a telephone interview with Ebiogbodi, he said that the picketing became imperative following the alleged negative disposition of the bank management to its workers’ welfare just as he called for the removal of the current management team led by Mrs. Funke Osibodu for the bank to be repositioned properly.

He said that the picketing of the bank will continue until its management comply with the demands of labour.

Some customers of the bank who had gone to the bank branches to transact business were dejected as they could not gain entry.

He, however, appealed to the customers to bear with the NLC on its decision to shut the bank, saying that  “workers have not been taken care of, many of our union members have been sacked and apart from those who are union members, even the workers themselves have not been taken care of.”