I am writing to merely state the facts of what is. Every day Nigerians complain of how bad everything is and what should change. The rate of unemployment is high, they say. No good jobs among other things. We all want to succeed; true, but some of us are intent on sitting down comfortably on the success of others. That is exactly what Zenith Bank is doing. Zenith is currently the leading bank in Nigeria. Outwardly, it is viewed as a giant but within its walls, you hear unending tales of woe. I am not trying to sound dramatic. Do not get me wrong, please; every organisation has its faults as well as challenges. Nevertheless, this is one story that should be heard. The contract staff program is one I believe banks and other organisations are familiar with. Well, here is how it works in Zenith Bank. Graduates are employed as contract staffs. And by graduates I refer to BSC holders as well as HND holders. Some of these ones have masters (MSC.) degree and some are also chartered accountants or have other higher qualifications as well. However, as a result f the rate of unemployment in Nigeria, they find themselves going into jobs like the Zenith contract. Here is the thing, as a contract staff of Zenith Bank, you have no medical benefit or allowances whatsoever. Desperation is the driving factor for most accepting the contract offer. Some have searched and searched and are fast getting out of the age bracket for fresh graduates without experience. What next? They jump at whatever bone is being offered. Now to be fair, they are being given an opportunity by zenith to have a ‘big’ name added to their resumé. They want the experience as well and they also want to feel as a part of something big, that feeling of making a mark. The contract zenith offers to fresh and ‘desperate’ graduates alike runs for two years. Desperately, they sign, and then it all begins. They are expected to do everything a full staff does. It is part of the job. They do not have to complain. They were in full control of their senses when they signed the contract. A clear case of ‘I beg to apply’. Among the things they get involved in is Saturday-marketing. This is especially the case for contract staffs who find themselves in newly opened branches. They are not expected to take part in the Saturday marketing but are coerced into going anyway. They really do not have a say. Another challenge facing these ones is the class distinction in some branches. You hear things like, ‘tell any professional staff you see there to,.... Well, that is just so sad. The professional staff in question is a Bsc holder and the contract staff may be an MSC holder. The distinction is very clear. They swallow this because they ‘begged to apply’. Then comes the end of the year and what happens? Everyone is excited about the bonus, the thirteenth month bonus that is being paid to all staff, from the security men at the gate to the ‘oga at the top’ (in this case, the branch head). Guess what? The contract staff receives nothing. And he/she has worked from the start of the year till that moment. It is all part of the ‘minuses’ even though it was not stated in the contract. Next comes a new year. People are jubilating, happy because with the new year comes the ‘upfront’ or housing allowance. Again, from the security man at the gate to.. .. well,you get the point. Once again, Nothing for the contract staff. After that, the bank declares it’s profit in the new year and after all that, profit is shared (though it has been stopped now). In this case, only the professional staff gets something. The junior staff which includes the security men, the note counters, etc and as usual, the contract staff get nothing. At this point it gets so annoying, you hear them murmur and complain. Sometimes their branch may put stuff together and give them from their package. As much as it is nice, it also kills the morale of the contract staff because it is now like a privilege of sorts and not something they have worked for in the past financial year and deserve. When the contract staff are finally granted leave, they receive no allowance whatsoever. When they are at work, they work the normal hours of 7:30am to 6pm or longer. Same as other staff. However, with this kind of schedule, it makes it difficult for them to have time for other matters. The contract letter says 5pm by the way. One more thing, though location is taken into consideration most times because of their salary, but then some of them are shuffled all over the place, being used as relievers for others who are going on leave. The bad part of this is that, there is no provision made for this person where transportation is concerned. If the person’s daily transport cost is two hundred naira (N200) due to proximity of office to home, and he or she is transferred to a place so far that transportation cost triples, he/she is expected to cover it with the same salary. Sometimes this relieve assignment can last for up to a month or more. Slavery is what this is called. They are not giving the time to do anything nor the compensation for the time put in. There is no time to apply elsewhere or even when you have applied, there is no time to go for interviews, tests, etc. What do they do? They sit and wait for the contract to expire. Some are fearful as they have crossed the employment bracket for people with little experience. Some are shouldering the responsibilities of the family with the meagre salary they earn. Yes, meagre for a degree holder. Some watch in pain and envy as their mates seem to get other offers while they are stuck in a rut. People went to school, spent four years or more. Some read banking and finance, eager to work in a bank. Some have dreamt of being bankers for as long as they can remember, only to be faced with this. At a time zenith converted some staff, and left the majority. They converted just few along with some who knew ‘people in high places’, leaving the larger mass of the contract staff hopeful and expectant. The funny thing is that most of them in Lagos did the conversion interviews together. Well, right now they are handing out contract renewal letters after two years. The letter includes a yearly renewal provision that if translated means , “you might as well get comfortable here because you are not going higher than this”. Remember what I sad earlier? We all want to succeed but some of us are intent on sitting down comfortably on the success of others. That is what I meant. You may wonder, why not just resign? Well, there’s that. We are in Nigeria after all right? But I believe some will. Zenith is cutting down hard on cost all in a bid to declare more profit. Notice how understaffed they are? They keep preaching motivation and excellent service. They say it is in your best interest. Well, I really do not know what to say about that. But I make this plea, Whatever union is out there that can put a stop to this, please, help put a stop to it. Labour unions and others even the government can assist to make this work conditions better for our graduates. This is a statement of facts and a cry for help. As you might have guessed, I am a victim myself.
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 09:48:32 +0000
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