Why Doesn’t Finsec Put Bank’s Offer To A Vote?
Finsec’s repeated refusal to hold paid worksite meetings for its members to vote without pressure on ANZ National Bank’s
collective employment agreement offer raises questions about the degree of member support for its industrial action.
“This is extremely disappointing because it is impossible to know whether the union has a mandate from a majority of its
members for its approach,” the Bank’s General Manager of Human Resources, Andrew McSweeney, said today.
Finsec has confirmed it will start a series of rolling strikes, after further contract talks ended today. The union has
declined the Bank’s offer of paid work site meetings for staff, unless the Bank agrees to further changes to its
proposal.
“The Bank is offering 19 improvements to employment conditions and there is not one condition that will be eroded for
staff,” Mr McSweeney said. “The Union itself has said that the offer comprises terms and conditions “that are the best
in the industry.””
“We have also moved on a number of issues since negotiations started several weeks ago, so we are at a loss to know why
the union won’t allow all its members to vote, as they have done in previous years.”
Fewer than half of Finsec’s members employed by the Bank (just 1418 of the 3700 members) took part in the latest
industrial action on April 22, when more than 95% of the combined ANZ and National Bank branch networks remained open.