A Concerned contact centre staff member at Nigeria’s largest bank, Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), has revealed some of the sweatshop-like practices employed by managers of the bank. The anonymous whistle blower cited several instances of unfair and unethical labour practices applied by the bank for its contact centre; taking the social media to pour out his list of grievances, which were appallingly many and generated several sympathetic responses on the forum.
The anonymous whistle blower gave a full blown vent on popular internet forum, Nairaland.com on the various unsavoury working conditions the long suffering staff members of the GTB Contact Centre are presently suffering from and how their “uncaring” and “shameless” managers work them at long hours but in the end, pay them little. He (or she) cited many other pitiful conditions the contact centre staff are working under, including naming three Senior Managers of the bank, who are allegedly responsible for their present travails.
From the large amount of sympathetic comments that burst forth after this long rant, it would be no surprise if this matter spreads much further and taken seriously by other bodies higher than the social media users and bring about a positive change in the plight of the GTB Contact Centre workers.
This is what the anonymous GTB Contact Centre Staff Member bitterly poured out on Nairaland.com:
“The Guaranty trust bank Contact Centre is not without it challenges in terms of working conditions and the remuneration from inception, just like every other organisation where contact staff make up the bulk on their work force. And who can blame these business owners since the country’s leadership, both the executive and the legislative arms do not care about her citizens, hence business owners exploit the situation, pay you peanut while they ride you like slaves. The shameless leaders even parade statistics of inhuman jobs endured by countless Nigerians who helplessly hope someone would care enough to speak for them one day.
“But when those managing the Guaranty Trust bank Contact Centre (Bolaji Lawal(Group Head) Ajibike Ijoma (Manager) and Omolade Abogunrin (Assistant Manager) and their foot soldiers think it’s their right to treat family men and women who had humbled themselves in the face of economic reality with such impunity, then someone needs to stop them. The introduction of the Indians into GTB management system had made me realise the definition of slavery mentality.
“Yes, they are taking advantage of the current economic crisis to turn the contract staffs into glorified maids in ties and gown who you chained with rules, but please, trample on us with respect. It is all we ask for; give us the respect we deserve as human, even house maids deserve a level of respect.
“You changed our working conditions four times within the last 12 month without notice and we have not complained. Our office space was relocated from Opebi to Lekki and promised us a staff bus. You provided four 14 sitter bus to cater for over 200 staffs at the time and withdraw two buses claiming the drivers resign. Leaving over 240 people to fight for a sit in two 14 sitter bus and Ajibike do not fail to remind us everyday that the bus is a privilege which can be withdrawn at any time. We never complained.
“You made us work nine and half hours shift for a standard 6 hours shift job and made to close at 8:30pm even though we are under paid and we still have to struggle to get a bus to our various destinations which become increasingly difficult at night along the Lekki- Epe axis, yet we did not complain.
“We are made to work extra one hour if we are 10minutes late and have pre-informed our supervisor, And if we are unable to reach our supervisor to pre-informed them of running late, we are handed extra two hours extra even if we are only 10 minutes late. Hence, people run to the office in the rain, drenched from head to toe and would still have to endure the effects of the air conditioners on their wet bodies. Meanwhile, you and your team leaders (GTB staff) could come to work later and be welcomed with smiles even though you have your private vehicles.
“You control our health, in spite of the inhumane working conditions you have subjected us to. We can only call in sick for a single day without a doctor’s report if not you will pay back your sick days, get a memo (query) and have your salary deducted. You are asking people without Health Insurance from their employers to present a Doctor’s report for every form of sickness. “Goddess” Ajibike sent a committed and highly skilled agent packing for being ill, even though she produced her doctor’s report? She claims she (the Agent) falls ill too often. I remember we are simply contingency staff and we could be disposed of faster than LAWMA picks up your trash.
“You make us the scapegoat for the slaughter for any customer-rated issue for which we have no fault, we even condone the act. You introduced several unfriendly policies on customers, they got angry and bombard us with calls, we try our best to calm them down, call traffic will automatically get high due to insufficient agents, and at the end of the day we get extra hour as punishment for call drop due to high call traffic. This is the height of injustice.
“We are made to work for 9hours 30 minutes on every festive period; Christmas, New Year and all public holidays without any form of reduced hours, make up time off or remuneration but these you do for your own staffs (GT staff). And to make matters worse, you woke up one morning and introduced an irregular shift pattern which is harmful, manipulative and wicked, without any recourse for the health implication of such. To further aggravate the already bad situation, work schedule for a new week is released between Friday evening and Sunday of the concluding week, making it impossible to plan your schedule. Secondly, we only have two irregular days off each week, without public holiday and festive rights so why reduce our 48 hours of rest to approximately 30hours.
“Could anyone imagine… that almighty GTB Contact Centre only gives 3 bottles of dispenser water per day, for over 200 agents. Knowing fully well that our job is about talking and talking. And I am very sure none of us is bathing with the water.
“The latest of these barbaric acts is Ajibike dishing out extra 30mins and 40mins respectively to the entire inbound agent at will for no just cause, other than the fact that no one could challenge her or stop her. She claims she does it because we have drop calls but that is a lie. The first few times she did, we receive statistical data from the external consultant at the Contact Centre showing call data. The reports show that over 100% of projected call inflow was picked while drop calls were from the excess call above call traffic projection. She makes us work extra hour to clean up her mess which she created by under projecting the call traffic.
“We at the Contact Centre are not asking for too much all we are saying is TREAT US WITH RESPECT. You are not better than us, you are only privileged. And all your brag that you could never need any of us outside the contact Centre is not true, do you know how I know this? Because you are not God, you are just human, nothing more.
“These contact agents handles the customers most sensitive information, we have access to every vital details of customers, over the years we have proven our loyalty and honesty. Treating us like slaves is like exposing your customers’ funds to a very high risk. Sir Segun Agbaje (CEO) needs to act fast before it become a story that touches.
I miss two people in GTB, late Tayo the former CEO and Uwem the former Contact Manager. Please, do not destroy their legacy.
Best regards.
Concerned GTB Contact slave (staff)”
But it also appears that the staff of GTB’s Contact Centre aren’t the only ones having it bad at this financial institution. Another set of workers that have reason to complain are GTB’s Transaction Service Division. The staff members under this division are charge of the daily transactions with customers; which includes the regular “across the counter” and the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) transactions. Like their Contact Centre counterparts, they too are smarting under working conditions, much to their detriment. Guaranty Trust Bank’s CEO, Segun Agbaje recently increased the unit’s staff’s working hours, forcing them to monitor the ATMs on weekends from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., in addition to their regular hours on Mondays to Fridays. Agbaje allegedly claimed the bank was losing money because most ATMS were always down at 7p.m; hence the extra working hours. But while this seemingly necessary move is saving the bank money, it is definitely not favouring the workers. After working long hours during the week, showing up for work on a Saturday and Sunday would obviously raise the ire rather than the morale of the unit’s staff. It has apparently taken its toll on the already overworked staff members, as it’s been reported there has been an alarming trend of deaths among them; no doubt caused by fatigue, severe stress and little time to rest.
For a bank like GTB, having the prestigious reputation of providing excellent services to its customers, yet treats its staff like slaves, these revelations places a huge black mark on it.