Fidelity Bank Plc in systemic cleansing of legacy staff, over 100 staff sacked

By Adesoji OMOSEBI

FIDELITY BANK PLC; The past week became a long week for notable legacy staff of Fidelity Bank Plc who were either asked to resign or had their appointment terminated.

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The massive disengagement of legacy staff of the bank by the management was done in utmost secrecy to the extent that none of the sacked staff knew who and who remains in the system.
It was alleged that the media have been taken care of not to publish anything relating to the massive sack.
Some staff who served meritoriously for over 15 years were forced to resign. These categories of staff whose retirement benefits have been stopped December 2016 in a mail sent to all staff by the MD/CEO, Nnamdi Okonkwo, that staff were no longer entitled to any retirement benefits.
According to one of the staff, he said, “there was a Tsunami in Fidelity Bank”
In those days Fidelity Bank used to be the best place to work. To confirm this, the bank won the award for three consecutive years as “The Best Place To Work” under the management of Mr. Reginald Ihejiahi (CFR) but the bank has now turned to the “worst place to work” under the management led by Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo.

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The Staff of the bank are daily living in fear of not knowing what will happen next. According to an ex-staff who would not want his name to be in print said, “management led by Mr. Nnamdi Okonkwo is too hostile to all categories of staff. You can only know you are in the bank if you resume in the morning and you are able to sign on into your desktop.”
Investigation conducted by SOJ Worldwide confirmed that the total numbers of various categories of staff sacked are over 100. Unconfirmed report said the staff of the bank sacked between last week Monday and this week Wednesday are up to 400 as the sack is continuing on a daily basis.
A reliable source quoted the Managing Director of the bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo as saying, “he said he is paying 6 months gross. He did not talk about retirement benefit.”

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He went further, “..he used three criteria to lay off people. Bottom 5%, i.e performance, Redundancy through Info-pool Performance Management, restructuring those not wanted in the North East, South West structure. I was told am not needed for new structure.”
It is part of any management decision, as a matter of necessity to downsize if the organization have been pushed to the wall but in the case of Fidelity Bank, staff have been shortchanged, bruised and future career truncated.
An insider at the head office of the bank told SOJ Worldwide that “Brought forward retirement benefits of staff as at December 2016 was N9.431 billion. Nnamdi is sitting on it.”
Most of the staff recently sacked have made up their minds to file a suit at the courts to claim their retirement benefit as it was written in its Staff Handbook of the bank.

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Fidelity Bank Plc would be rated as one of the banks in Nigeria with highest litigations instituted by its own staff against the bank bothering on retirement benefits the bank denied them.
As at the time of conducting this investigation, a popular case involving 12 dedicated staff of the bank is still pending at the National Industrial Court. Although the Judge directed that the bank management should consult with 12 staff for amicable settlement of their retirement benefits, but as at the time of posting this, Fidelity bank is yet to come to terms with the staff involved.
The hearing which was earlier scheduled for May 8, 2018 has been adjourned till June 11, 2018 for further hearing. This was aside of numerous individual staff who have besieged the courts to fight for the rights.

READ ALSO: YOU ARE NOT OUR STAFF, FIDELITY BANK DENIES 12 OF ITS STAFF RETIREMENT BENEFITS.

Fidelity legacy have been eroded by the present management of the bank said a staff.
Every plan of the former management of the bank under Reginal Ihejiahi (CRF) to make the bank to be among the top three rated banks in Nigeria have been reduced to over 10 from number 5 which the present management met it.
At the inaugural meeting he held with the staff few years ago, Nnamdi Okonkwo promised not to strangulate the staff as far as their benefit is concerned but as time goes his true colour begin to manifest through easing out of legacy staff (old Fidelity staff) for new and inexperienced staff from UBA where he came from.
Those who were lucky to have escaped with their retirement benefits before the stoppage in December 15, 2016 are thanking their stars while those who have less than a year to attain their retirement age are lamenting daily. This was contrary to the policy of the bank as written in its Staff Handbook.

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Fidelity Bank that those who were sacked now had worked hard tirelessly to make it what it is today is retrogressing except a drastic action is taken by the Board of Directors to rescue it before it is too late.
Gone are the days when the FIDELITY was a role model for other banks, staff always reject any offer from other banks because they are well taken care of by the bank. Bankers from other banks are scheming to work in Fidelity Bank. That is history today.
Every FIDELITY staff has the tenacity to succeed no matter the odds hence the exploits of the governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano who was once an Executive Director of the bank. Uncountable benefits abound under the former tenure of Reginald and his vibrant team.

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Even contract staffs are hopeful, they can plan where they would be in the next five years under the hierarchy of the bank, and unfortunately that has become history under this new MANAGEMENT. Contracts staff that have spent over 10 years to further their education in order to be converted to a full staff had their hopes dashed as the privileges have been stopped. Those who have had their B.Sc, MBA still remain stagnant for years without any hope of conversion like it was under the past management. Instead, Mr. Okonkwo prefers to bring in new inexperienced staff as a core staff over contract staff who had all what it takes; passion, experience, dedication, commitment on the job.

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In all of these troubles confronting the exited staffs, the regulatory body, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN refused to intervene despite all numerous staff petitions to the apex body to intervene in their plights.
Most of these aggrieved staffs have headed for the courts hoping that one day, they will get justice.

www.sojworld.com © May 16, 2018