Stop ANZ National’s race to the bottom

• Tane
• 16 years ago
• Categories: workers' rights
• Tags: anz national, finsec

A few weeks back ANZ National announced that over the next 12-18 months they plan to export 400-500 New Zealand jobs to Bangalore. In response, the bank workers’ union Finsec has started a campaign to stop them in their tracks.

If it goes ahead this will be the largest offshoring of jobs ever in the New Zealand banking industry, and it’s being done by a company that can well afford to keep them here. Since 2004 ANZ National’s profit has increased by 76% and last year made an after-tax profit of $1.168 billion.

ANZ National has tried to excuse its decision on operational grounds, but the reality is it simply wants to increase its profits by cutting workers’ pay and removing their rights. And like Fisher & Paykel, ANZ National’s management realises the easiest way to do this is to ditch its Kiwi workers and move the jobs to the developing world where the pay is lower and the workers aren’t always as able to speak up.

You can do your bit to help Finsec’s campaign by visiting www.finsec.org.nz and sending a message to ANZ National’s CEO Graham Hodges that New Zealanders aren’t going to put up with their race to the bottom on wages.

Meanwhile, if you haven’t already, quit your accounts at ANZ National and go set one up at Kiwibank.