NSW: NSW ANZ workers walk off the job

AAP General News (Australia)
12-14-2001
NSW: NSW ANZ workers walk off the job

SYDNEY, Dec 14 AAP - ANZ workers will walk off the job for 24 hours today after a union
labelled the institution the "ugliest" of the banks.

The action coincides with ANZ's annual general meeting and was designed to send a message
to shareholders that the bank's management was out of control, state secretary of the
Finance Sector Union (FSU) Geoff Derrick said today.

ANZ workers are disgusted at management's determination to put profits ahead of the
public, he said.

"It's a tough contest but you would have to rate ANZ as the ugliest of the banks at
the moment," Mr Derrick said in a statement.

"This is a bank who made a $1.87 billion after-tax profit last year, awarded its CEO
John McFarlane a $1.63 million package, but refuses to negotiate a decent set of wages
and conditions with their staff.

"We expect significant support for our staff but ANZ is the nastiest bank in terms
of its workers and will be pulling out all stops to intimidate workers not to join in
the industrial action."

An ANZ spokesman said he hoped most branches would stay open during today's action.

Workers will meet for a briefing at 8.30am (AEDT) before marching to Sydney's Westin
Hotel for the alternate shareholders meeting.

Meanwhile, unions estimated up to 7,000 bank workers walked off the job around Australia
yesterday in the first strike involving three of the major banks at one time in some 20
years.

Workers from ANZ, National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac took part in the 24-hour
strikes, also timed to coincide with shareholder annual general meetings.

But banks estimated only about 1,000 workers went on strike, forcing a handful of branches
to close and causing minimal impact on services elsewhere.

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KEYWORD: BANKS NSW DAYLEAD

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