The decision by the CBA and its subsidiary, Bankwest to close 45 branches and convert others to CBA branches is expected to cost 350 jobs.
Finance Sector Union national assistant secretary Jason Hall said the CBA/Bankwest decision would disadvantage Bankwest customers who preferred to use a branch to do their banking.
“This is an outrageous decision by Bankwest which has completely abandoned its customer base in order to cut costs and become a digital bank,” Mr Hall said.
“A range of Bankwest customers will be badly affected including the most vulnerable in our community. Worst affected will be the elderly, First Nations customers, people whose first language is not English, and others who are not computer literate.”
“Maintaining a branch network costs money. But surely keeping faith with a loyal customer base is an important principle when those same customers and the banking fees they pay, have been at the core of Bankwest’s profitability for many years.”
Mr Hall said the CBA and the digitised Bankwest should retain as many staff as possible.
“Our members who work in retail didn’t join the bank to work in a call centre.”
“They prefer to work with customers face to face and this is being taken away from them.”
“The Bankwest customer base is being totally abandoned by the CBA as a result of this decision.”
“Instead of serving its customers, Bankwest and CBA are now dumping them in order to boost the CBA’s already healthy profits.”
“This decision will be bad for banking in WA. It will be bad for business as a large network of branches disappears and it will be bad for our members who stand to lose their jobs.”
Media contact John Hill 0412 197 079
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