The Financial Sector Union says it will push for bank staff to have the right to seek work-from-home arrangements where possible when it begins to renegotiate collective agreements with Westpac, NAB and CBA in the coming months, as he advocated for workers to have more choices about returning to the office.
After banks began encouraging staff to return to the office on certain weekdays earlier this month, FSU National Secretary Julia Angrisano said on Tuesday the union would try to enshrine some labor provisions in domicile (WFH) in corporate negotiation agreements, which expire at several major banks this year.
Workers shouldn’t have to absorb increased travel costs when their work can be done from home, says the finance union.Credit:Istock
Ms Angrisano has also written to more than 50 employers in the financial sector to say that finance workers should not be forced back into the office if they have genuine concerns about their safety or that of their families, citing concerns staff regarding the contraction of COVID-19, long journeys and care responsibilities.
While all major banks have adopted a ‘hybrid’ form of work for office workers, the union released a survey of 70 members on Tuesday, which found around two-thirds of respondents worried about catching COVID. -19 when they return to the office.
Ms Angrisano acknowledged that the WFH arrangements had to work for both employers and staff, but she said some banks had ordered their staff to return to offices a few days a week on an “arbitrary” basis. The union plans to begin corporate bargaining talks with Westpac and NAB in May, while CBA’s deal expires in June.
“For us as an industry, this is a big issue, and we will put it at the center of our main bargaining demand on the two that come first, namely Westpac and NAB,” Ms Angrisano said in an interview. .
“Requesting telework accommodation is a right that we want to include in the collective agreement. »
“So when considering an employee’s request for a work from home arrangement, we would expect the employer to consult with the employee, genuinely try to come to an agreement on what that would look like. work-from-home arrangement, and that there would be flexibility to accommodate the employee’s situation and the needs of the business.
ANZ, which also has a hybrid working policy, has in recent years renewed a company agreement which expired in 2017, but Ms Angrisano said the union still planned to engage with the bank on its work proposal at residence.