The Federal Government has warned commercial banks in the country to put a stop to the retrenchment of workers or face sanctions, stressing that it will no longer tolerate banks flouting its directive.
This was disclosed yesterday by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige in Geneva, Switzerland where he attended an International Labour Congress, ILO, meeting.
It would be recalled that following reports of sack of workers by banks last week, the Minister had urged them to suspend further action, but some banks went ahead to lay off more workers.
The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, NECA, had said the power to hire and fire does not rest with the government, but Ngige said if the banks failed to comply with the directive to maintain the status quo, the government knows what to do. He added: “Afterall, the banks have licences that are issued by the government.”
The Minister maintained that no worker should be treated like a slave in his own country and thrown out of job by employers of labour without following the due process.
He noted that apart from the banks, telecommunication companies were breaching the labour laws by denying their workers the opportunity to unionise.
Ngige said banks laying off workers were not following the due process and that the government had evidence that they failed to comply with the principle of collective bargaining.
Vowing to protect workers, the Minister said: “We want them to maintain the status quo because they are not the only ones suffering the economic downturn in the country. But everything must be done with a human face. As far as I’m Minister of Labour, I will protect Nigerian workers.”
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