The ANZ Bank is closing more branches in Victoria in a move that will inconvenience customers and result in bank workers being redeployed or made redundant.
ANZ has notified the Finance Sector Union of Australia (FSU) it is closing branches at:
- Drysdale;
- Balaclava;
- Daylesford;
- Corryong; and
- Donvale.
The branches are currently staffed by a total of 22 employees. ANZ has told the union that four staff will move into other roles. The remaining 18 staff will need to try to find a new job within the bank or face being made redundant.
Staff at these branches were told about the closures last week. The ANZ says that branches at Drysdale, Donvale and Balaclava will close on 1 August 2018. Branches at Daylesford and Corryong will close on 29 August 2018.
FSU Local Executive Secretary Darren Martin said while the ANZ attempted to justify the closures by saying customers were "changing the way they chose to do their banking," the real reason for the closures was ANZ seeking to maintain its billion dollar profits.
"We know customers, especially the elderly, need to go to bank branches to transact business," Mr Martin said.
"But all the banks, including ANZ, have embarked on a campaign to push customers onto internet banking because they can then get rid of branches and keep their profit levels up."
"This is nothing more than a cynical exercise to dump staff and customers and bolster the bank’s bottom line."
FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano said while ANZ had opened a short window for consultation with staff and customers, as provided for in the ABA’s branch closure protocol, it was unlikely that the bank would restore the affected branches even if customers complained.
"We know the banks are hell bent on closing branches because they are doing it all around Australia on a regular basis," Ms Angrisano said.
"Now more than ever it is important for the banks to work to restore community trust and confidence following the shocking excesses revealed by the Financial Services Royal Commission," she said.
"But as usual they are putting profits before people."
"The loss of a local bank could have a devastating impact on these regional communities, with the loss of income affecting other local businesses because workers no longer had cash to spend."
Ms Angrisano said the FSU was concerned that the ABA Closures Protocol did not go far enough and the banks should be consulting staff and local communities before decisions to close branches were made.
Link to the ABA Branch Closures Protocol below.
http://www.bankers.asn.au/images/uploads/ArticleDocuments/149/Branch%20Closure%20Protocol%20Oct%202015.pdf
Media comment Darren Martin 0409029822,Julia Angrisano 0418994418.
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