The Finance Sector Union says a move by CBA to freeze hiring under the Bankwest entity was the "final nail in the coffin" for the WA brand.
The Finance Sector Union says a move by CBA to freeze hiring under the Bankwest entity was the "final nail in the coffin" for the WA brand, while employees have signed a petition to stop the move.
Commonwealth Bank told employees recently it would halt hiring under the Bankwest brand, instead transitioning to hiring under the CBA banner, combining the Bankwest and CBA enterprise agreements, in a move it called administrative.
The Financial Sector Union said the move undermined the principle workers should be able to bargain collectively with real influence over outcome, given it would mean 1400 Bankwest staff would have to negotiate with alongside 33,000 CBA employees.
Finance Sector Union national president Wendy Streets said CBA was "essentially calling it quits on Bankwest".
"They want to disappear the Bankwest brand, but our members have worked hard to protect Bankwest's unique culture and identity in WA," she said.
"This move also sets up a situation where around 1400 workers could be forced to bargain alongside more than 33,000 Commonwealth Bank workers. That is not a level playing field.
"This is far from an internal tidy up, it's about whether Bankwest workers retain a genuine, democratic say over their own enterprise agreement and their pay and conditions, or whether they are swallowed up into a much bigger workforce where their interests can be outvoted."
Ms Streets said Bankwest workers would fight "tooth and nail" for their future.
"The petition makes it clear that there is no consent from workers for their agreement to be folded into a much larger deal that does not reflect their circumstances."
The union said Bankwest workers were against the move and had launched a petition to CBA chief executive Matt Comyn, calling on the bank to maintain Bankwest's current employment structure.
Bankwest unveiled its digital-only branding in March of last year, revealing a new slogan of 'just enough bank' two days after laying off 130 roles.
Those roles, Bankwest told Business News at the time, were from the 'transition team', tasked with migrating customers from Bankwest to CBA.
CBA bargaining is expected to commence in February, and has been contacted for comment.
