By Gareth Vaughan
The bank workers union has taken the opportunity of a submission to the Government on its plans to tender the core government banking services contract to complain of "extreme and unrealistic" debt sales targets set for bank staff, which it says are leading to a "severe degree" of stress among workers.
In its submission First Union, formed through the merger of the National Distribution Union and Finsec in October 2011, calls for worker and human rights to be a key consideration within the All-of-Government banking services procurement process.
"Accordingly, we request that throughout the tendering process that interested parties can be given the opportunity to comment on the business enterprises that are tendering for contracts, as well as establishing mechanisms whereby those parties or other aggrieved parties might engage directly in the protection, respect and remedy of issues arising with regard to worker and human rights," First Union's submission, from strategic advisor Edward Miller, says.
Aside from First Union the only other one of 10 submissions received by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment following a Discussion Document on the Government's all-of-government banking services not to come from a bank, was from Visa. Visa has outlined what its intentions towards the core government transactional banking contract, held by Westpac since the 1980s, are if - as expected - it's opened to a competitive tender.
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