FED: Union expects 5,000 jobs to go in NAB restructure
SYDNEY, April 4 AAP - Plans by the National Australia Bank to close dozens of regionalbranches would have a devastating effect on jobs, a union said today.
Finance Sector Union national secretary Tony Beck said the bank was expected to announcenext week plans for a massive restructure which would place about 5,000 banking jobs injeopardy.
He said there was speculation from banking analysts that up to 5,000 jobs and dozensof branches would go.
"Whichever way it goes, it's a dramatic and devastating impact upon jobs, on customerservice," he said.
Mr Beck said in the past nine months the NAB had shut down 100 branches nationwide.
He said the effect had been devastating when combined with closures from the otherbig banks - the Commonwealth, the ANZ and Westpac.
"The four major banks in the last nine years have closed 2,000 branches," he said.
"There's been a firestorm of branch closures, impact on communities, more than 50,000fulltime jobs have been shed."
Mr Beck said the union would call on governments at all levels to push for a charterof social responsibility in the banking sector to ensure staff levels and branches wereretained.
"We would be calling on politicians and government at a state and federal level torecognise that this industry and these banks, the NAB in particular, have no regard fortheir broader social responsibilities," he said.
"They're driven by greed and greed only - unless there is some legislative framework,a social charter requiring them to provide a balanced outcome to look after other stakeholdersthey will continue to behave in this way."
The NAB today confirmed about 50 rural branches would be affected but most staff wereexpected to be redeployed.
AAP nd/nf/las/de
KEYWORD: NAB FSU LEAD
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