Interview with Andrew Campbell, campaigns director for the bank workers union, Finsec

The back page of Bad Banks leaflet #5 features an interview with Andrew Campbell, campaigns director for the bank workers' union, Finsec. ASB Bank is the only major bank operating in NZ which is not unionised. ASB bosses have taken an anti-union stance. Andrew heads up Finsec's "Better Banks" campaign, which is about getting better pay and industry standards for bank workers, but is also about refoming the way the banks operate in New Zealand. Finsec wrote a submission to the parliamentary inquiry initiated by the Greens, Labour and Progressive parties. They still support a full public inquiry into the banks.

Is it "Kiwi" to be anti-union?

“ASB is a deunionised bank.” That’s the situation at ASB Bank according to Andrew Campbell, campaigns director for Finsec, the bank workers union.

“They’ve made it very difficult for ASB workers to be part of a union”, says Andrew. “Whilst Finsec hasn’t actively organised in there in recent years, the last time we did, we faced stiff opposition. They made it very very clear to people that they viewed the union as a negative.”

“People close to the union, or who joined the union, were spoken to by management. Anti-union information was circulated at the time. Even though it was made clear that you had the legal right to join, all evidence to the contrary was put up, so that joining the union was seen as an act of hostility to the employer. That’s a very scary situation to put people in”, says Andrew.

No union means that ASB bosses have more power over their staff. This year, all ASB employees earning over $50,000 have been subjected to a wage freeze. This will affect 3,500 of the bank’s 4,700 staff nationwide.

The low bar compares unfavourably with that being used by ASB’s parent company in Australia, Commonwealth Bank, where the wage freeze is for staff earning over $100,000.

“There’s evidence that workers at ASB are losing out because they aren’t able to collectively bargain”, says Andrew. He believes ASB can afford to pay more, “their profits are comparable to the other banks”.

Finsec have an ongoing campaign called “Better Banks”, which aims to achieve better pay and industry standards across the banking sector.

Better Banks is also about bringing the banks into line. “We think the banks need to change how they operate”, says Andrew, who heads up the campaign.

“They need to start operating in the interests of the NZ economy and their NZ customers, rather than in the interests of their Australian shareholders. They need to be more ethical, they need to be more regulated, and they need to stop taking the NZ taxpayer for granted.”

Andrew was disappointed the National government didn’t support calls for a full public inquiry into the banks: “We think the banks lobby got in Bill English’s ear, which shows which side National is on. They’re on the side of big banks, not NZ workers.”

Finsec still wants to see a full public inquiry, “but we want to see real changes”, says Andrew, “not just a talk fest”.

“Workers and customers will have to be active to pressure politicians to make the fundamental changes to the banking system we all need.”