Bank rural settlement staff join strike action

ANZ National Bank rural lending settlements staff, who process transactions such as farm mortgages, have joined rolling strikes around the country.

Bank workers union Finsec said today the "rural settlements date" -- when large numbers of rural transactions were to be settled -- was this week.

But staff had instead joined in industrial action yesterday and today.

"The bank's failure to agree on dates to re-enter negotiations with its workers has seen the strike enter its 26th day today," Finsec campaigns director Karen Skinner said in a statement.

ANZ National held 43 per cent of rural business in New Zealand.

"We knew, and the bank knew, that if this dispute remained unresolved too long, it would start to impact on some significant settlement dates for the bank, such as this one," Ms Skinner said.

"We once again question what this ANZ Australia takeover (of the National Bank) means for New Zealand staff and customers."

Bank staff wanted "fair compensation" for working weekends and evenings, and assurances the bank was going to treat staff from ANZ and National equally.

Ms Skinner said 150 staff from the lending support services team in Auckland had walked off the job this morning in support of their rural team colleagues.

- NZPA