Changes in bank structures sought

Press, 13 November 1985, Page 28

Changes in bank structures sought

PA Wellington Women would never get equality in the banking industry until banks made significant internal structural changes, asserts, the Bank Officers’ Union president, Ms Angela Foulkes, “Each bank in its turn will have to make substantial changes to its internal structures before we see any true progress. This is not happening in any bank except Westpac,” she said. Two years ago a study by the Human Rights Commission of the four trading banks, 8.N.Z., A.N.Z., National and Westpac, found that women were a “disadvantaged group” in banking.

Last year the commission directed the banks to establish joint working parties with the union to develop programmes to improve the position of women in banking. The four banks have now produced reports on strategies for equal opportunity and forwarded them to the commission. The union has also prepared reports. Over the next month

union and banking representatives will meet the commission to discuss the reports. The reports will not be released until after these meetings. , Ms Foulkes said that the working parties of bank and union representatives would have to continue for a “long time yet.” “There is still a long way to go. We, also wish, to monitor /progress until/ we; are satisfied; that the banks have done enough,” she said. In September the union released “report cards” on the progress each bank had made towards equal opportunity. These showed that the B.N.Z. had no willingness to make structural changes but had brought in a very good set of programmes on maternity leave and had introduced a pilot scheme for advertising job vacancies for those on the very highest grade. This was a good beginning, but the bank had shown a real reluctance to contribute financially to childcare, said the union. Westpac led the field in

an affirmative action programme for women and the union said that the bank had made “excellent progress” on employment practices, "maternity leave, job vacancies and providing each employee with an individual career plan.

The National Bank’s work was “uneven” « and, A.N.Z. •was . not -interested in research, making fundamen? tai: changes or in the three priority areas identified by women in banking — longer maternity/parental leave, provision of childcare facilities and advertising .job vacancies.

Since the “report cards” some progress had been made, said Ms Foulkes. “Every bank had brought out a paid paternity leave provision for up to five days. And they have all increased their unpaid maternity leave provisions from nine to 12 months,” she said.

But Ms Foulkes gave a firm “no comment” when asked if she thought banks really had their hearts and souls set on equal opportunity for women.