Staff gob-smacked at continued discrimination

Friday, 25 June 2004, 2:30 pm
Press Release: Finsec

Friday, June 25, 2004

For immediate release

Westpac call centre staff gob-smacked at continued discrimination

Westpac continues to discriminate against its call centre workers by offering them worse conditions than staff elsewhere in the bank, the bank workers’ union Finsec said today.

Earlier this week the workers rejected an offer to settle their collective employment agreement saying it did not go far enough to address their concerns about work-life-balance and equity. The bank came back with no further offer today.

"Call centres are central to the bank’s operation and we are gob-smacked at Westpac’s failure to acknowledge this," said Finsec organiser Karen Skinner.

"All staff are asking for is to be on a par with their colleagues in the branches. They feel that it is unfair to ask them to work an extra half-hour a day for the same or worse pay and they need the security of fixed working hours.

"Westpac has ignored the voices of loyal staff who have raised these issues through their union for over eight months.

"Membership numbers are continuing to grow which indicates growing support for these issues. We also believe support for these call centre workers is growing throughout the bank,” Ms Skinner concluded.

Ends

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