Treasurer Rita Saffioti and the Finance Sector Union have hashed out concerns over the impending closure of Bankwest branches and hundreds of job cuts.
Treasurer Rita Saffioti and the Finance Sector Union have hashed out concerns over the impending closure of Bankwest branches and hundreds of job cuts.
The Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU) has called on Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Bankwest’s parent company, to stop more job cuts in its updated enterprise agreement.
In early March, CBA announced it would close all 45 Bankwest branches in Western Australia by October to transition into a digital model.
It is expected 15 regional Bankwest offices will be converted into Commonwealth Bank branches as part of the move.
The FSU estimated 350 jobs were cut because of the decision.
FSU national assistant secretary Jason Hall said the union’s members jobs were at risk and called on CBA to commit to no more job cuts as part of the negotiations for a new enterprise agreement.
“When CBA closed the entire Bankwest branch and ATM network, it committed to redirecting 500 much-needed roles to WA,” he said.
“But in reality, CBA has cut over 280 jobs from WA since September 2022, including another 12 roles slashed just this week.
“We have made representations to the WA Treasurer to outline the full extent of job losses at CBA in WA over the past 18 months.
“The bank’s decision to close all its Bankwest branches (which impacted 350 roles) and ruthlessly slash 280 other jobs, demonstrates that no job is safe in WA right now.”
Ms Saffioti confirmed she has met with the union and ensured their concerns have been conveyed to Bankwest.
“Our primary concern with the Bankwest restructure has been to minimise the impact on Bankwest workers and customers, protect WA jobs, ensure elderly and vulnerable customers are supported and guarantee regional towns don’t lose their last bank branch,” she told Business News.
“We will continue to liaise with the FSU and Bankwest, but ultimately, these changes and their implementation reflect Bankwest and CBA’s commercial decisions.”
A CBA spokesperson has rebutted the union’s claims, saying the Bankwest workforce has grown in size with more than 80 roles created in technology over the past year.
“As announced in March, 500 CBA Group roles in technology, operations, and customer service will be redirected to WA to support Bankwest’s digital transition,” the spokesperson said.
“This will offer new career pathways for Western Australians in next generation banking jobs.
“As part of Bankwest’s transition, some roles and work may change or may no longer be required.
“For roles that are no longer required in their current form, we work closely with our people to redeploy them into new roles and opportunities wherever possible.”
Data from Bankwest claims an average of 30 transactions per day took place in metropolitan outlets, and 15 in regional outlets.
