For immediate release

Thursday 10 July

ANZ National fuelling attack on public services

Bank workers' union Finsec says that despite ANZ National's claims they're "defending the front line" the bank's report on public expenditure will inevitably be used to attack public services, and shows the same disdain for non-frontline staff that has seen them proposing to send hundreds of Kiwi bank jobs to Bangalore.

"It is no surprise ANZ National are attacking back office jobs in the public service given they are sending a good chunk of their own back office work to Bangalore. This is another attack from our wealthiest bank on the job security of New Zealand workers," said Finsec Campaigns Director Andrew Campbell.

"It is perhaps not surprising given bank economist Cameron Bagrie works to a board including former National Leader Don Brash. It might explain the eerie similarity between his report and National Party statements on this issue," said Campbell.

Campbell says that the bank is using these statistics to push their own policy agenda in a highly politicised environment only months out from a general election. "In our view, one can easily read a political motivation behind the report and we believe it should be scrutinised very carefully with this in mind."

"By crudely dividing public spending into two categories of "good" productive frontline jobs and "bad" unproductive bureaucracy, ANZ National are applying the same hierarchy of job worth they use in their own business," said Campbell.

"They seem to have the same slash and burn, short-term view of core public services too. It's sad that when our economy and the workers who drive productivity need real investment, our wealthiest bank seems intent on doing exactly the opposite."

"The bank's position would take us back to the 90s when the public service was starved of funds and frontline services faltered. We don't want a return to the bad old days of overworked frontline staff desperate for additional back office support," said Campbell.

ENDS

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