The National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions Employees (NUBIFIE) has taken decisive action against Heritage Bank by shutting down its head office in Lagos.
This move comes in response to the bank’s management’s recent mass sacking of over 1000 personnel without following due process.
NUBIFIE vowed to continue picketing the bank’s premises until the management addressed the grievances of the sacked workers and ensured they received their rightful severance packages.
The aggrieved ex-staff members have barricaded the entrance gate, preventing access to and from the bank’s head office at 143 Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Earlier reports had revealed that Heritage Bank, under the leadership of Mr. Akinola George-Taylor, had forcefully terminated the employment of over 70 senior staff members within one year of his tenure.
Additionally, numerous other employees were allegedly coerced into resigning, exacerbating the bank’s internal crisis. Most concerning was the lack of payment for accrued entitlements and allowances owed to the affected staff.
Sources disclosed that the bank’s chief executive officer instigated the internal turmoil in a bid to purge the institution of individuals suspected to be loyal to certain board members.
This purge was reportedly part of a broader scheme to consolidate power and control over the bank, with the backing of a prominent shareholder seeking sole ownership and removing existing board members.
Efforts to reach Heritage Bank’s head of Corporate Communications, Ozenna Utulu, for comment on the situation were unfruitful as of the time of reporting.