
Issue No 101		06 July 2001

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ACTU Weighs Into Bank Campaign

Unions are stepping up their campaign against the major banks, calling on customers to vent their anger at bank management.

The ACTU Executive meeting in Melbourne today voted to expand the campaign and condemn Commonwealth Bank chief David Murray for threatening to ban low-paid and disadvantaged customers.

Finance Sector Union (FSU) National Secretary Tony Beck told the meeting that bank staff would expand their nationwide campaign of strategic work bans in protest against low pay and staffing levels at the Commonwealth, ANZ and National Australia Bank.

"Bank staff are under unprecedented stress and are being forced to work excessive amounts of overtime, often without pay," Mr Beck said.

Research for the FSU shows that more than a million hours of overtime are worked in the Australian finance industry each year - the equivalent of 25,000 full-time jobs.

"This industry has just posted a record half-year profit of $4.1 billion, slashed 40,000 jobs and closed almost 2,000 branches, and now they want to cut the pay of their remaining staff," ACTU President Sharan Burrow said today.

The union's proposed Social Charter to protect low-income bank customers and prevent branch closures would become a Federal election issue, Ms Burrow said.

"The banks must listen to the community. People want banks to recognise their concerns and act responsibly. Banks are not a law unto themselves, and the Government must play a role," Ms Burrow said.

The ACTU Executive resolution appeals to bank customers to direct their frustration with poor service levels at bank management, not frontline staff who are operating under intolerable pressure.

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  Issue 101 contents

Interview: A Little Knowledge
Labor's science spokesman Martyn Evans was the Opposition's key player on the Knowledge Nation inquiry. He fills us in on the process.

Education: Theory and Practise
Whether or not you agree with the priorities for of Barry Jones� Knowledge Nation Taskforce, Julie Wells argues its boldness has to be admired.

E-Change: 1.1 Email Nation
In the first of a series of articles on politics and the new economy, Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel argue network technologies are reshaping the fundamentals of society.

Economics: Banking on the Goodwill
Given their history, Evan Jones wonders whether banks can really claim to be "just like any other business"

International: A Deathly Struggle
In this dispatch from PNG, a trade union leader briefs us on the situation following the shooting of seven students at an anti-privatisation rally.

History: Enlarging Human Personality
Mark Hearn argues that Lloyd Ross's post-War approach to Workplace Democracy seems contemporary by today's standards

Satire: Shit is a Four Letter Word
Australian TV drama is lame and gutless just look at the ABC's Love is a Four Letter Word, says Tony Moore

Review: Tribute to an Artist
Dalgarno painted the seagulls circling the seafarer like flies buzzing around the face of a bushman. Thus did the artist depict the maritime worker.

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» Living Standards Shape as Election Factor

» Clairvoyant PM In Secret Deal Fantasy

» Hotels Face Workers Quiz

» Call for Senate to Decide Spammer's Fate

» PNG � Howard Should Speak Out

» Couriers Buck Over Tax Ruling

» Kempsey Killing Highlights Health Fears

» Checkout Operators Better Paid Than Aged Care Workers

» ACTU Weighs Into Bank Campaign

» Fund Bad Health for Families

» Australian Music Web Radio Station Needs Recruits

» Activist Notebook