Bank officials have warned that financial institutions will be overwhelmed by the euro changeover due to inadequate staffing levels and training. Mr Larry Broderick, general secretary of the Irish Bank Officials' Association (IBOA), told a biennial conference in Galway at the weekend that promised recruitment of additional staff would not take place. Training for the changeover was also being left to the last minute, he said.
"Bank staff have been told that there will be a holiday freeze in place from November to March of next year, and to expect a requirement for significant amounts of overtime," said Mr Broderick. "This is an intolerable situation, and the IBOA is now insisting that a better approach must be put in place by the banks by the end of October." The IBOA has drawn up a draft euro agreement which it wishes to discuss with the banks. "Firstly, we need a confirmation from the banks that no redundancies will arise out of the introduction of the euro," Mr Broderick said. "We are calling for agreed additional staffing to be put in place to cope with this development. This staffing needs to be put in place before the training takes place, and needs to be maintained beyond the immediate change-over period," he said.
"Once the changeover is fully completed, we are proposing that a joint staffing audit be undertaken to assess the need for personnel, and only then should the staff hired for the euro be laid off," Mr Broderick said.
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, has already indicated that bank staff could be entitled to compensation for the extra workload caused by the euro changeover, but has urged firm adherence to the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness (PPF).
The Minister made her comments in her address to the IBOA delegates on Friday, when she acknowledged the huge pressures which the euro changeover was placing on the organisation's members.
The IBOA has also called for a charter to protect the rights of employees at financial call centres. Mr Michael McBride, the IBOA's development officer, warned employers that the union would strongly resist any attempt to impose second-class trade union rights on its members. The union has published its own charter which demands minimum rights for members in the call centres.
The charter focuses on the need for an improved level and standard of training for staff, in order to reduce high levels of staff turnover in the sector. "Many call centre workers report that health and safety issues at their places of employment are not given the priority they deserve," Mr McBride said. "Other issues such as bullying and harassment in the workplace are unacceptable," he added.
