Bank union wants halt to offshoring jobs 2 May 2008
Westpac chief Gail Kelly has denied reports that the bank is planning to send 3,000 jobs offshore, while admitting that the bank will increasingly use offshoring if it can improve efficiency at the bank. The Financial Sector Union is urging the federal government to take action to prevent banks from sending jobs offshore and to allow customers to demand that their personal information not be sent to other countries. The union has stepped up its campaign against the use of offshore centres by banks and has put proposals to the government which include imposing quotas for Australian based back-office staff in bank licenses, regulations similar to the privacy laws for consumers and changes to trade practices laws. The FSU's national secretary Leon Carter said "Back–office workers are the backbone of Australia's major banks, performing hundreds of important tasks such as handling customers' sensitive banking information".
