BANKS:TRADE UNIONS representing bank staff have sought meetings with Minister for Finance Michael Noonan amid concern the planned restructuring of the sector could lead to significant job losses.
General secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions David Begg said he wanted to “clarify” the employment implications of the Government’s plans to restructure the banks.
The trade unions IBOA and Unite said they feared there could be “significant” job losses under the plans. Neither union has put a figure on the number of jobs that could potentially be at risk.
A spokesman for the Department of Finance said Mr Noonan had believed the banks would have to be downsized and would have to look at their cost bases. The spokesman said this was a matter for the banks.
IBOA general secretary Larry Broderick said: “The implication in the Minister’s proposals to restructure these institutions by a combination of merger and down-sizing is one of significant job reductions.
“While we accept that some redundancies may be inevitable, we believe that, if the aim of the exercise is to achieve a working banking system capable of serving the needs of customers as well as the demands of the economy, then bank employees should be considered as absolutely vital to the solution – rather than as part of the problem.
“IBOA believes that redundancies should be the last resort – rather than the first item on the agenda.
“ If redundancies are deemed to be necessary following full consultation with staff and their professional representatives, they should be implemented on a voluntary basis and with due consideration for the implications for the remaining staff and for customer service,” he said.
In a letter to members in Irish Life and Permanent TSB, EBS Building Society, Bank of Ireland and AIB yesterday, Unite said its aim was to maintain the maximum number of long-term sustainable jobs.
“Unite will fight to make sure that any redeployment or redundancy is on the best possible terms and, most importantly, that you are given a choice in whether to accept those terms through voluntary schemes.”
Unite said representatives of the union would meet the governor of the Central Bank, Patrick Honohan, on Monday.
In a letter to the Minister for Finance, Mr Begg said: “The congress-affiliated unions in banking are realistic about the future but at the moment they are flying blind as far as the precise implications for employment are concerned.
“I think what is needed is some structure that would allow the issues to be addressed, with a view to minimising the consequences for employees and their families.”
Mr Begg said that at a time of high unemployment the Government should seek to maximise the numbers of people at work and protect existing jobs.
