BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
LAGOS — EFFORTS by the Presidency to resolve the lingering dispute between organised labour and management of the Union Bank of Nigeria, UBN, Plc, which led to the shut down of operations of the bank offices nationwide for a third day, appeared to be achieving the desired result as there is only one unresolved matter.

Funke Osibodu

Organised labour and Management of Union Bank of Nigeria, Plc, since January have been at logger head over the bank’s withdrawal of recognition to its unit of Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions, ASSBIFI, affiliated to NLC among other grievances..

Presidency’s intervention through the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Chief Emeka Wogu, had Wednesday summoned a meeting between organised labour led by Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and the management of the bank led by its Group Managing Director, Mrs Funke Osibodu.

Earlier derecognition

At the Wednesday meeting, Vanguard gathered, the management of Bank agreed to withdraw its earlier de-recognition of the union, recall 12 of the 13 sacked union officials except the secretary,   Comrade Theodore Ogbonna.

Vanguard gathered that the bank said it would only convert Comrade Ogbonna’s earlier dismissal to termination for him to get terminal benefits.

But the NLC team led by its President, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, was said to have rejected this on ground that the secretary was the bedrock of the union.

The meeting was adjoined to yesterday (Thursday). Though the day two the meeting began by 2 pm and was still on at press time, Vanguard sources said the matter would likely be resolved at the meeting.

This came as the nationwide mass action against the bank, yesterday, at the Marina Corporate Head office of the bank, almost took a violent twist, when an officer of the bank identified as the chief security officer, CSO, was man handled by angry picketers for allegedly threatening to direct the security operatives keeping watch at the bank to shoot the picketers if they failed to behave.

Meanwhile, business activities in the Bank offices across the country continued to suffer as officials of NLC and their civil society allies intensified their grip on the bank offices across the country.

However, unlike Monday and Wednesday mass actions, there was no obstruction of traffic as motorists were allowed to move freely along Marina Street where the bank’s corporate head office is located.

NLC Head of Information, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, who addressed the aggrieved workers, however, said no meaningful agreement had been reached with the management of the bank, arguing that the industrial action would continue today until they receive further direction from their leaders in Abuja.

Specifically, Owei said that the management of the bank has agreed to rescind its decision and reinstate the union representing the senior workers in the bank. The bank, he said has also agreed to recall the union officials who were allegedly dismissed over their involvement in union activities.

However, he said the management was stubborn about recalling the Secretary of the in house union of the bank, Comrade Theodore Ogbonna whose appointment the bank said would be converted from dismissal to termination.

However, the Congress is insisting that the secretary must be recalled before the industrial action could be suspended stating that the secretariat is the engine room of the union.

“Information reaching us from our leaders in Abuja is that most of our demands have been acceded to by management of Union Bank except one. The bank has agreed to withdraw its statement derecognizing the two unions in the bank. They have also agreed to recall 12 of the 13 dismissed union officials except the secretary whose appointment they said will be converted from dismissal to termination.

And we are saying no, we want the secretary back in office with the others. There is no ASSBIFI, no UBASS without Ogbonna. No agreement can be reached without bringing back the secretary. This is our demand,” he said.

He maintained that the NLC has resolved to fight the battle to a logical conclusion adding that the industrial action will continue today unless an agreement is reached before 12 midnight.