By GLORIA ANAEZE, Onitsha

Sacked Access Bank staff of November 2020 batch, in the South East states, Wednesday in Onitsha, Anambra State, protested alleged illegal dismissal without benefits even as one collapsed on the process of the protest.

The protesters who marched through some major roads and finally landed at the gate of Basilica of Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, said they were in the church premises for God to hear their prayers and not man.

Some of them carried placards with the inscriptions, “CBN/NLC/ Bankers Committee come to our rescue; Access Bank at it again, sacking staff without lay-off benefits; Access Bank mystery shopping video, amidst Covid-19 Access Bank sacked three times in 2020; Working Monday to Sunday no benefits for 10 years; over 300 sacked in South East on November 2020 without benefits; Access Bank show us the mystery video clip you claimed you used to rate our performance and sacked us,” among others.

Addressing newsmen during the protest, their spokesman, Mr. Emmanuel Afamefuna Okoye, said, “I worked at Access Bank Main market branch Onitsha, I was among the over 300 Access Bank staff November 2020 batch dismissed in the five South East states of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, Ebonyi and Abia without giving us tangible reasons and benefits for our dismissal.

“We are not protesting to paint the bank black or say anything negative but it is not fair for somebody to work for you for years and you ask the person to just go like that; somebody that worked for you for years, Monday to Sunday, which I am one of them.

“CBN gave its directive that no bank staff should be sacked especially at this COVID-19 pandemic but Access bank has sacked on three occasions in 2020,” he said. (Daily Independent)

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