The Access Bank And The Sting Of Capitalism By Gabriel Ogunlana

The Access Bank, shortly after the re-capitalisation policy of Soludo’s, has been the major manipulator in the labour market segment of the banking sector.

Access Bank was once renowned for promoting the age limit of 24 years for applicants of Management Training cadre. It popularized and promoted HND/BSc dichotomy by delisting the HND from its recruitment system.

Except from a very few, where would you see a graduate (with NYSC discharged certificate) of 24 years from public institutions? It could massively come from the private ivory towers. The institution where the children of the oppressing elites are regrouping to build the next generation of socio-political aristocracy.

Access Bank

Many of us who were concluding NYSC at the notch of 30 or more would  not ignore a job opportunity beckoning us even if it’s with restriction. The aftermath of it among the “Ajepakos” was age manipulation. As at that time, my intimate person who was born in 1979 became a born again! My friend became 1986 kiakia. He contested the age he’s told he was born by his parents and he worked out another age that capitalists wanted. Man must survive.

As a player in the labour union movement, I have had privilege at many fora of our affiliate to criticize the leadership of the labour centers the vain approach to fighting employer’s callousness of labour casualisation and job insecurity. In their argument, they rationalized the unreserved rights of a capitalist to manipulate his factors of producion of which labour would be included.

What would a capitalist do if workers through a coordinated leadership could decide to be united against anti-worker policies of an employer? Our labour leaders will rather hide behind “diplomacy” when justifying their failure to tackle the plight of workers headlong

Access Bank is taking the advantage of the poor labour practice in this clime. It’s taking the advantage of excess supply of skilled labour while the reality of economy is killing many entities that are supposed to absorb workers. It’s taking the advantage of laissez-faire attitude of government to the plight of workers.

Revolution is the only way forward.