Union Orders Banks’ Staff To Stay Home Amid Severe Attacks

The Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) has ordered staff to stay off branches in response to the widespread attacks on bank employees and infrastructure.

The ASSBIFI president, Comrade Olusoji Oluwole, called for action in a notification sent to all unionized institutions, citing the ongoing attacks on employees and bank facilities nationwide.

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This is coming barely 24 hours after issue threat the association threatened that bank workers under the union to stay off duties.

Recall that ASSBIFI on Thursday this week warned against transferred aggression and attacks on bank workers.

In his press briefing on Thursday, Olusoji had said: “we value the lives of our members and colleagues and will not put them at any further risk. We have put them on alert and shall instruct them without further warning to immediately stay away from their branches if these attacks on our members and facilities continue until such a time that they can be guaranteed of their personal safety and the security of their workplaces by the relevant authorities.

 “We call on the public to desist from threatening or attacking our members, or destroying our properties as they will be only proverbially cutting their noses to spite their faces. We can only give what we have been provided with and nothing more.”

In a memo tagged ‘ANS/R/JA/OP/5018’ sent to all unit President and Secretaries, ASSBIFI said: “the National Secretariat has been inundated with reports of threats and attacks on lives and properties of Members and bank branches, and subsequently has been on the field to monitor and confirm the reports.

“We issued warnings and appeals to Government to provide security Measure for the Safety of Lives and Properties of our Members within and around the bank premises, but regrettably the attacks have continued without any form of security for the safety of our Members, and the recent being the attack today, Friday 17th February 2023 on one bank branch at Epe, Lagos State.

“We cannot leave the lives and properties of our Members exposed to obvious danger. Consequently, all Members Should Today (yesterday) immediately Stay Away from Work in any State where bank branches are attacked. This is to continue every day until normalcy is restored. Please Note, you will be availed further directives as events develop.”