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 At the end of last year, more than 600 members working for CBA in New South Wales and Queensland had delivered letters to the bank disputing the targets that had been imposed on them.
Yesterday, seven FSU Reps from CBA retail areas held talks with the bank about the targets dispute.
During the two hour meeting the FSU Reps relayed a significant number of actual accounts of the struggles and pressures CBA retail bankers are facing on a daily basis trying to reach the individual targets and achieve CES results. The Reps were well-prepared, confident and united and the 600+ members involved in the dispute were ably represented.
You can read more about this meeting, and the fantastic Reps who represented CBA workers, here.
 The actions of these FSU Reps really epitomises what our union is all about – finance workers standing up for fairness and respect at work, sticking together and looking out for each other.
And we will be relying on that collective spirit over coming months, as banks reduce costs (and jobs) in order to protect their record profits (see related media below), as insurance workers go flat out to deal with the increase in claims that we’re likely see in the event of more weather events and natural disasters, and as workers in super funds adapt to changing dynamics. Credit union workers aren’t off the hook, with credit union numbers continuing to decline and more mergers potentially on the cards.
Offshoring is another issue impacting on our industry, with both Suncorp and Westpac actively moving jobs overseas, and ANZ and NAB continuing their long-running offshoring programs.
And in the midst of this turmoil there are still the bread and butter issues of improving and protecting employee entitlements through enterprise bargaining, advocacy and enforcement, and issues based campaigns, such as the CBA targets dispute, that aim to improve the working lives of finance sector employees.
The only way to make a difference for the men and women working in finance is to act collectively, and be part of a strong union.
I hope you managed to have a refreshing break over the festive season – it’s shaping up to be another big year for us all.
Leon Carter
FSU National Secretary
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 Big four banks to slash thousands of jobs (video link)
Nine News, 10th January
Banks plan staff purge: Thousands of jobs to be lost
news.com.au/The Daily Telegraph, 10th January
Union set to fight banks' job cuts
AAP/Sydney Morning Herald, 9th January
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2012 has begun with thousands of customer claims in response to the December hail storms and natural disasters. This will lead to an increased work load for many insurance staff. The FSU understands that our insurance members work hard during times of natural disasters to assist customers and face increasing work pressures due to the high volume of work. It is important that Union members know their rights when being asked to work additional hours to assist with unforseen circumstances such as floods, severe storms and bushfires.
If the additional hours you have been directed to work are unreasonable based on the following factors, you can refuse to work them:
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risks to your health and safety;
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your personal circumstances/family responsibilities;
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the needs of the workplace;
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whether you receive overtime payments, penalty rates or a level of remuneration that reflects an expectation of working additional hours.
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Notice given by your employer.
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Westpac, St George, BankSA, and Bank of Melbourne employees will receiving a pay increase on 12 January 2012, the third and final pay increase provided for under the Westpac Enterprise Agreement 2010 and the St George/BankSA Enterprise Agreement 2010 which were negotiated by the FSU.
Westpac
The performance based pay increase will deliver a minimum 4% pay increase for those staff rated Effective or higher, and a 2% increase for those rated Needs Development. Packaged employees will be receiving a pay increase from a 4% salary pool.
St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne
The pay rise is a guaranteed 4% increase for all unpackaged employees. Packaged employees will be receiving a pay increase from a 4% salary pool. Minimum rates for St George, BankSA and Bank of Melbourne grades will also be increased.
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ACTU Research Officer Matt Cowgill takes aim at the celebrity chef’s complaints about paying penalty rates to low paid hospitality employees when they work on Sundays, with a well-researched and argued article, published on the Your Rights At Work blog.
Click here to read
Authorised by FSU National Secretary Leon Carter |
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