Friday, December 17, 2004

Christmas Cherry with Westpac's Sherry

Westpac to the resucue! Great to see that Auckland's rescue helicopter has received a Christmas cherry, with the print version of the Herald showing Westpac CEO Ann Sherry getting a ride in the 'copter above Auckland. There's no doubt that the five-year sponsorship deal is good for Auckland with the helicopter staying afloat (aloft?) as a result, but there is the small question of whether Christmas cheer is extended to NZ Westpac staff as well. Their CEO is getting a (no doubt well-earned) A$2.4 million pay packet, while staff on the East Coast of the North Island are having chronic problems over the winter (and at other times) with stress and understaffing issues. One of the delegates from Gisborne said, " We didn’t have enough coverage over winter when people were sick or away. We had people on long service leave for four months and inadequate part-time coverage. People were stressed and working long hours – even weekends – trying to keep their heads above water. Doctors were telling staff to take stress leave and the bank was taking no responsibility for it. Not only that, but we were told that there was no budget for more help. Consultants left because of the low staffing and impossible targets. " See the November/December Finsec Flash for the rest of this story and other news from the banking industry. So, it would be nice to have Westpac's socially responsible purse strings pulled in favour of the staff as well.

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