BNZ Update
24 August 2007
KEY POINT:
- BNZ has circulated its response to feedback it received on the proposed Customer Service Consultant role. After receiving a 400-person petition the bank has responded positively to some of Finsec's suggestions to improve the introduction of the role for staff, but will push ahead with making CSRs accept the new role.
ACTION:
- Join the union - all non-members need to seriously considering joining Finsec. The bank will be wanting to make a number of changes to our employment rights when Finsec negotiates the collective agreement in October. The CSC restructuring shows that by working together as a union we can make some changes. But we will need to be stronger to stop the bank forcing through its proposals in negotiations later this year.
BNZ responds
BNZ has circulated its response to consultation it received on its proposed Customer Service Consultant role, including responses it received from Finsec's 'Take 5' campaign to improve the proposal.
Some improvements
The bank has agreed with some of our suggestions, such as to review the implementation of the CSC role in 6 months time, and to provide a comprehensive training system. These things were not in the original proposal.
Other changes to the proposal that Finsec members campaigned for, such as the right for CSRs to choose whether they moved to the new role, lowering targets for CSCs, and increasing the pay to reflect pay in comparable jobs in other banks, were all rejected.
Campaigning works
About four hundred Finsec members participated in our Take 5 campaign by signing the petition saying they supported the five changes Finsec was proposing.
We believe that this created significant pressure on the bank to respond positively to our proposals, including formally meeting with a delegation of Finsec members to discuss our issues. The proposal is now better for staff than it was.
However, 400 people participating out of a bank with 3000 staff is not enough to win significant changes to proposals that the bank was already committed to.
Time to focus on negotiations
When BNZ members negotiate a new employment agreement in mid October it is likely that the bank will be claiming to make many changes to our rights at work including our hours of work provisions. Meanwhile Finsec members are campaigning for fairer pay, fairer targets and increased levels of staff.
Grow to win
We need to grow our membership and grow our activism so the bank sees far more than 400 people supporting our campaign for positive change. Our rights at work will be at serious risk if that is not the case.
Finsec members at Westpac won pay parity with ANZ National and they won the chance for a new, fairer pay system with less focus on targets through growing their membership and members getting active. We can do it to!
From the Union Council
