Industry News in Brief

ANZ National

Workers at ANZ National have just concluded a nationwide round of stopwork meetings prior to bargaining. Finsec members called overwhelmingly for a fair new pay system that recognises staff's experience and training by merging the successful elements of ANZ and NBNZ's current systems.

BNZ

Independent research into workplace stress levels at BNZ showed that many retail (40.0%) and call centre staff (43.5%) experienced dangerous levels of stress. The biggest cause of stress for staff was the bank's use of scorecards, performance targets and pressure to sell to customers. Understaffing was also a common cause of stress.

Westpac

Westpac is currently developing a new pay progression system that it has agreed will not be based solely on meeting targets. Members are currently running a campaign to ensure that the new pay system is fair for all and are hoping to see an end to performance targets.

AIL

AIL, which is a 100% unionised site, recently reached an agreement that includes two wage increases of 5.5%. Steve Friedlander, AIL's Managing Director, said; “A strong business is an organised business where employees and staff have a voice. We provide paid birthdays off, work/life balance, wage increases, team bonuses.”

Upcoming Negotiations

Members at PSIS and Asteron are currently negotiating an agreement with their employers. Finsec members at TSB, Credit Union Baywide and Sovereign are all about to enter negotiations with their employers in the next couple of months.