ANZ staff talk action over new structure

By KEVIN TAYLOR

ANZ staff, fearful that the bank's new franchising regime may undermine their collective contract, will today discuss industrial action.

In July the bank announced a new system creating 23 separate local markets, each operated by a local chief executive.

Finance Sector Union (Finsec) organiser Geraldine Molloy said talks on a new collective agreement with ANZ broke down this week and 1800 staff would attend unpaid stopwork meetings today from 1pm.

The union covers about 80 per cent of staff eligible to be in the collective. The bank offered 3 per cent for the first year and 3.25 per cent for the second year.

Molloy said the collective wanted only a one-year term and was concerned the rise was not as much as previous settlements at the BNZ and WestpacTrust.

But she said staff were more concerned with the new franchise system, which started on Tuesday.

"They feel that the CEOs may introduce changes to their terms and conditions that they will be powerless to resist ...

"There's a real worry the CEOs ... will attempt to undermine the collective terms and conditions by employing people on different conditions."

The new chief executives also distributed bonus payments, creating fears that two classes of worker would be formed, favoured staff and union members.

ANZ said in July that its new system aimed to give frontline staff greater operational freedom.