Letters will tell bank staff fate

Press, 18 March 1988, Page 1

Letters will tell bank staff fate

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

Letters 1 to be handed to all Rural Bank staff in Canterbury this morning will tell them whether they still have jobs with the bank. j The jobs of all 91 Canterbury staff have been under a cloud since Tuesday, when a memorandum was distributed. This, according to some staff, made them all "feel like] criminals.” The memorandum told staff to hand in all keys tq office doors, cabinets and safes by 3 p.m. yesterday, and told field staff to hand in car keys I by 8.30 a.m. today. Letters will be distributed to staff at 9 a.m. today telling them whether they still (have jobs. The memorandum, signed by a regional i co-ordinator, Mr Peter Furness, itells staff Ithat they may choose to open their letters in the privacy of their own homes, in' which case transport will be provided. "Staff ! offered | positions are expected to remain at work, or return to work immediately for the day. "Upon request, I. can arrange for surplus staff to collect their personal effects fijom the office at somejsuitable time during : the week-end if required, or will deliver i personal effects to homes.”! Staff were also told that those with jobs would te expected to do normal duties “until advised otherwise.” “Establishment charts," specifying new positions and

locations, would be made available at 10.30 a.m. The development is part of the restructuring of the bank las a limited liability company. I The change, announced in December, is to take effect on April 1, although the required legislation is still before Parliament. The restructuring will affect staff throughout New Zealand. Only in Canterbury, however, is the announcement of redundancies being handled in this way. The Canterbury regional secretary of the Public Sendee Association, Mr John McKenzie, condemned the memorandum as putting all staff under a Cloud when, presumably, only a minority were to be made surplus. '“There is no need to send this trauma through all the staff,” he said.

If that was an example of a “good employer," as State-owned enterprises were supposed to be, “then I’d hate to see what is interpreted as a bad employer,” Mr McKenzie said. “It is quite repulsive that we are going to restructure the Public Service in this way.” Mr McKenzie said that the only prior warning staff had received was a memorandum from the general manager (Mr Ray Chappell, who will be the new- company’s chief executive officer), dated March 8. That gave certain details of the restructuring, and listed a number of regional co-ordinators, including Mr Furness, to manage the change.

I He was not available yesterday. The bank’s regional manager, Mr Ken Kelty, declined to comment.

The Rural Bank’s national pub-1 licityl officer, Mr Bill Patterson, described the procedures adopted in Canterbury |as a housekeeping measure designed to tidy things i up before the restructuring took effect. Those kept I on could have changed responsibilities and designations, he said. Rebutting a comment by Mr McKenzie that “conspicuous by its absence is any ‘thank you for good I and faithful service in the past’,’" Mr Patterson released a memorandum to staff from the chairman of the board. Sir Allan Wright, dated March 4. In that, Sir Allan said,. "The board recognises the pressure the transition has put on all our current staff, and I would like to record the board’s appreciation of the way in which you are coping with what is a difficult time/’ In l Tuesday's memorandum, Mr Furness told surplus staff they ■ would receive a “support package” of names and contact points of people and organsiatins able Ito help them. They were also offered Rural Bank facilities to prepare curricula vitae, and regular notification of Public Service vacancies. Mr Furness also told them that other regional co-ordinators i were available to assist them. Mr Prebble’s denial, P 7 I