The Guardian 13 December, 2006
Spotlight on off-shoring
Are you worried that your bank might be sending all your personal and sensitive information offshore? That bank workers are being sacked and their work sent offshore? Well now you can check if your bank has offshore processing or call centre operations. The Finance Sector Union (FSU) is launching the www.bankcheck.net.au website. The launch will be backed by radio advertisements in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over the coming weeks.
FSU National Secretary Paul Schroder said the site would provide the public with the facts on off-shoring — which jobs are being sent offshore and what information is going with them.
"Thousands of Australian finance sector jobs are under threat of being off-shored to India where workers are paid as little as $100 per week", Mr Schroder said.
"We also know from research we conducted that the public hates the idea — 82 per cent say they would consider changing banks if their bank sacked Australian workers and sent their information offshore.
"That’s why the FSU is calling for legislation requiring banks to inform customers when their personal information is sent offshore.
"The government needs to force banks and other financial service providers, to disclose these details because customers have a right to know so they can make informed consumer decisions. In the meantime, we’ll provide that right through this website."
Mr Schroder will be raising concerns with off-shoring directly with the CEOs of the major banks at their Annual General Meetings over the coming weeks.
Over time the Bank Check site will also expose other employment practices in the finance sector, including the use of AWAs and customer service issues such as linking pay to selling credit products.
A copy of the radio ad can be downloaded from www.bankcheck.net.au