Bank officers will fight longer trading hours

Press, 6 July 1977, Page 14

Bank officers will fight longer trading hours

PA Auckland Bank officers will fight any attempt to extend trading hours if shops stay open longer under the Shop Trading Hours Bill. This is made clear in the annual report to the Bank Officers’ Union annual conference in Auckland. The union president (Mr D. Matheson), said before the meeting that branch meetings had shown that staff were strongly against any extension of hours. "Members will expect this meeting to show the way," he said. The annual report said hours had been a sensitive issue since the banks unilaterally extended the closing hour from 3p.m. to 4 p.m. The banks were unwilling to say there would be no further extension.

Bank staff were acutely aware that if late-night shopping spread, or if there was extensive Saturday opening, pressure would

rapidly mount on the banks to follow suit. Members had made it clear they were prepared “to express themselves through direct action,- if need be.’’

Complacency about bank security had been “totally shattered” by the killing of a bank officer at Rotorua, said Mr Matheson in his annual report. “Since then, a good deal has been happening by way of review of the existing levels of security, and banks have tried to tidy up some of their worst spots,” he said.

“However, there is still a long way to go and the union must maintain vigilance on the issue.”

Charging that bank officers were working longer hours and that pay rates were slipping, Mr Matheson accused banks of deliberately adopting cheap labour policies. The banks were employing juniors on skilled work

at low pay rates and holding back on negotiating salary increases.

The theme of this year’s conference of the 10,000strong union was pay and careers in banking, and Mr Matheson asked: “Are we to make a stand and fight for substantially better pay and prospects, or will we be content to have these increasingly discounted because of our need to preserve an amicable relationship with employers who are strongly disposed to retain their style of benevolent paternalism?” Mr Matheson said that the union must face up to the prospect of further rapid changes in banking technology during the next five to 10 years.

These ranged from the introducing of fairly simple coin sorters to large shopping centres being placed on lines to bank accounts of customers and permitting the use of direct credit, he said.