ANZ should plan to invest in jobs on both sides of Tasman

16 January, 2012

ANZ should plan to invest in jobs on both sides of the Tasman

Bank workers in New Zealand are dismayed by media reports that the ANZ bank may be slashing several hundred jobs in Australia. “There is no case to be made for cutting jobs when the bank is extremely profitable and with chronic understaffing in the banking industry on both sides of the Tasman,” said FIRST Union Finance Sector Secretary Andrew Casidy.

“The bank’s statements that they are not planning redundancies in New Zealand provides some comfort to staff here,” said Casidy. “However, we are reluctant to put too much faith in these assurances when the bank refused to make firm commitments to retaining staffing numbers in New Zealand only last year in our review of the Collective Employment Agreement.”

Staff and customers should be very angry that the ANZ is looking to cut staff in order to drive profits up even further. “ANZ has no justification to make job cuts which cannot improve customer service and which would harm local communities.”

FIRST Union will be following up with ANZ National to ensure that no plans are in place to decrease staff numbers in New Zealand.

FIRST Union represents 28,000 workers including 4,500 in the finance sector.

ENDS

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