The Finance Sector Union (FSU) has condemned Bank of Queensland’s plan to cut 200 jobs with the majority as a result of a deal with outsourcing giant CapGemini, including axing and sending offshore more than half of its contact centre workforce.
The cuts include 165 roles in the contact centre – more than 50 per cent of the Australian workforce in that division, 20 roles in collections, and the remainder in retail, lending and audit roles.
This comes on top of BOQ’s earlier decision to close branches across Australia — a clear sign that the bank is walking away from both its staff and its customers.
While BOQ runs glossy campaigns about being ‘the Bank of Queenslanders,’ the reality is jobs are being offshored and local communities are being left behind, says the FSU.
The work is slated to be shifted offshore, with CapGemini operating a large base in India. Customers contacting BOQ risk having their calls answered by offshore contractors rather than by BOQ workers.
The bank’s plans also highlight further threats from automation and artificial intelligence, with CapGemini also engaged to accelerate BOQ’s move to AI.
Despite having run a full tender process over months, staff have only just been told their jobs are on the line which the FSU says shows a complete disregard for workers.
The FSU demands BOQ scrap its offshoring plan, rule out forced redundancies, guarantee redeployment and training for affected workers and be upfront with customers about how outsourcing, automation and AI will impact service.
Finance Sector Union National Secretary Julia Angrisano said:
“This process has been planned in secret and then dumped on workers with no warning. BOQ staff deserve honesty and respect, not to be blindsided about the future of their jobs.
“We warned that once CBA opened the door to outsourcing and AI, the other banks would follow and BOQ’s decision proves we were right.
“It’s not just BOQ – ANZ workers were treated appallingly last week, with emails instructing them how to return their laptops before many had even been told their jobs were gone. Right across the sector, bank workers are being treated as disposable.
“When customers pick up the phone to speak to their bank, they expect to speak to a BOQ worker who knows their account and their community, not a contractor overseas with no connection to the bank.
“This is a race to the bottom with fewer secure jobs for workers in Australia and poorer service for customers. Once one bank moves the others follow. “
Media contact: Kate Shuttleworth – 0447 418 726
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