Embargoed until Monday 6 November

MEDIA RELEASE
Finsec
The finance sector union

Better Banks campaign shows union and community strength

Finsec, the bank workers’ union, is launching its Better Banks campaign next week with over one hundred meetings for bank workers around the country, the first time such meetings have taken place for over a decade.

Better Banks is Finsec’s campaign to introduce fair industry-wide standards in all banks around issues of pay and pay systems, targets, under staffing, workplace stress, investment in staff training, and investment in high quality customer service.

The Better Banks campaign will be the first time that bank workers have worked together across their entire industry to promote change since employment awards were removed in 1990.

“Workers and the community want banks to compete on quality products and services not wages and conditions. We all need to work on these issues across all the banks to achieve the best results,” said Finsec Campaigns Director, Andrew Campbell.

The banking industry has changed dramatically over the past 10 to 15 years including branch closures, introduction of call centres, the movement of processing work from branches to back offices (and sometimes back again), outsourcing of work to other companies and the increased ownership of the banking sector by Australian banks.

“Banks now spend 30% less than they did a decade ago in order to make a dollar of profit and they are making more money than ever. But despite all this wealth, workers and customers are not better off,” said Campbell.

“This campaign is about claiming better banks not just for workers but for communities. It is about more focus on local customer service and advice, rather than selling debt and cutting costs.”

“Fundamentally we are campaigning for a shift in the way that banks operate. We want fairer workplaces for bank workers and a greater commitment from the banks to the customers and communities they serve,” said Campbell.

ENDS

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