Management of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB)Limited has blocked membership dues for the two recognised unions under the Union of Industry, Commence and Finance workers (UNICOF).

The two unions which have been at loggerheads with the board and management of the bank over maladministration are the Local Union (LU) and the Professional and Managerial Staff Union (PMSU).

The total dues for the month of July for the joint membership of the two unions in the bank amounting to a little over Ȼ4,400 was duly paid to the PMSU account but reversed minutes later.

According to a mail trail between the union leadership and some key management members, the decision to block the dues was at the instance of the Executive Head of Human Resources of the bank, Ms Akwelley Adoley Bulley.

In a response to a query by the unions, Financial Controller of the bank, Mr Joseph Ciici Arthur, noted that, "the directive to hold the payment of UNICOF dues till further notice came from the Executive Head, Human Resources," adding that the unions should "kindly contact her for any clarifications".

The Executive Head of Human Resources in her response to the union indicated that they were in receipt of a list of members of a new grouping which should not have been included in the deductions for the month of July.

"We are in receipt of the list of FBSEU who should not have been included in this month's deductions", Ms Bulley said.

The Unions however drew her attention to the fact that if there were names in contention, that anomaly should not affect the list of names that duly signed up as members of the two recognised unions.

The unions also suspect that the unilateral decision to suspend their dues was a deliberate attempt to frustrate their operations in order to give an undue advantage to a management-sponsored grouping, which is not getting the required members in order to form a recognised parallel union. Indeed, email trails cited shows that the management-sponsored grouping only begun in the wake of union agitations.

"Management has therefore been using its administrative powers to push the agenda of the splinter grouping," said a source close to the unions. 

The PMSU and the LU are however threatening a 'final showdown' with the management if their accounts are not credited with the right amounts.