Osun: First Bank Pensioners Protest Poor Welfare Package, Call For Urgent Intervention

Pensioners who retired from First Bank plc on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in Osogbo, Osun State Capital, over poor pension renumeration from the organisation.

The pensioners blocked the entrance gate of the First Bank located at station road, Osogbo demanding upward review of their monthly pensions from N15,000 to N120, 000 and their annual medical allowance from #30, 000 to N500,000 annually.

The First Bank retirees where seen carried placard with various inscriptions such as, “S.O.S. Just imagine, N300 billion Pension Trust Fund disappeared from account since 2014. N15,000 pension per month is wicked , N30,000 per year medical allowance is inhuman and cruel”, “We are dying in droves due to poor pension and medication”, FBN Pensioners are the poorest paid monthly person in the finance industry ” amongst others.

Addressing the journalists, the state chairman of the forum, Mr. omotayo John lamented the alleged poor treatment of the pensioners by the management board of the organisation which according to him has resulted to untimely death of his members.

Omotayo who read the text signed by the forum’s national chairman, Pastor John Gimbason berated the inhuman behaviour of the Board management of First Bank plc, noting that, their predecessors have pleaded with them to review their meager monthly pension and annual medical allowance, but turn deaf hear to their plight.

The pensioners demanded that, the management of the First Bank show empathy and understanding to the plight of the pensioners who have served the bank with dedication and loyalty, urging them to revise the payoff template to reflect a fair and reasonable amount that can sustain the pensioners and come to a round table to resume negotiation.

Recalled that the First Bank pensioners, under the National Union of Pensioners (First Bank Unit) had last week held a protest in front of the corporate headquarters of the bank in Marina, Lagos, on Wednesday.

While reacting, the National Trustee (1) of the First Bank Pensioners’ Unit, Adekunle Ajibola, told The Punch that

the retirees had repeatedly appealed for adjustments but were told the bank could not fund the increase from its profit and loss account. According to him, past leadership of the bank created a pensioners’ trust fund for such situations, but the retirees claim they have not been allowed access.