Finsec members at Westpac and BNZ both have collective agreement negotiations later in the year, and are facing very much the same issues. In both banks members are worried about understaffing, and the associated stress that arises from it.

Both banks also currently have performance pay systems with targets that often change and that large numbers of members believe are unfair or inequitable. The increase in targets year after year and the performance management of employees who do not meet these targets results in real stress for people in both banks. Many Finsec members believe that when they attempt to reach targets by working unpaid overtime this masks understaffing in both banks.

So the two union councils have agreed to hold meetings between both sets of members in late July. These meetings will be notified to both banks under the Employment Relations Act and will be paid two-hour meetings. These will provide a forum for Finsec members to discuss the common issues facing them.

Finsec activists from ANZ National will also be attending the meetings to discuss their recent experience of campaign bargaining, as well as to share some of the issues surrounding different pay systems. A high turnout at these meetings will send a clear message to the bank that people care about having fair workplaces

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