Ecobank
Nigeria, has sacked another set of over 1,040 of its employees,few weeks after
sacking about 500 others.
Those
affected by the sack staff at Ecobank included full time and contract workers.
Top
officials of the pan-African lender confirmed to our correspondents that the
initial list of those to be sacked had over 1,400, workers but was later
reduced to “a little above 1,000.”
Ecobank
spokespersons declined to comment on the number of workers who were disengaged
However,
the lender said in a statement that it had converted over 200 outsourced
personnel to permanent employees as part of its drive to attract and reward
talent, while also repositioning for improved efficiency.
In
line with the recognition of excellence, the bank also said it had recently
implemented a merit-based pay increase for the top performers across all
cadres.
The
Managing Director, Ecobank, Mr. Charles Kie, was quoted as saying that
converting qualified outsourced staff to permanent workers was in line with the
bank’s commitment to developing and growing talent by nurturing its people
along their career paths and giving them access to higher responsibilities.
He
said the bank was resolute that recognising and rewarding excellence would
drive its goal of achieving exceptional performance in the industry.
Kie
said, “The bank, in its renewed drive for optimal performance, has in addition
realigned certain roles bank wide to ensure improved efficiency. This
necessitates the exits of some staff who were adequately compensated.
“This
is in furtherance of a market repositioning exercise designed to strengthen the
bank’s business across all markets where it operates.”
He
emphasised that the ETI was on a trajectory to achieve leadership and that the
Nigerian subsidiary remained one of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated’s major
affiliates as well as one of the country’s systemically important financial
institutions.
Kie
explained, “Our focus is to improve the quality of service to our customers as
well as our operational efficiency.
“We
understand that people are our key assets; so, we have emphasised the need to
reward our best performers, continue to re-invigorate our people, while also
opening up new opportunities for talented and committed people to join us as
permanent employees. At the same time, based on our repositioning plan, we had
to disengage some staff, while ensuring that, in line with industry standards,
they are treated fairly.”
Ecobank
Nigeria is a member of the Ecobank Group, which is present in 36 African
countries.
The Group employs nearly 19,000 people from 40
different countries in over 1,200 branches and offices.
ETI
had posted over N40bn decline in its profit for the 2015 financial year owing
to high impairment charges.
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Business