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Union takes Commonwealth Bank to Fair Work on WFH rules

By AAP Newswire

Jul 12, 2023

Commonwealth Bank building — Some staff at Commonwealth Bank are angry at changes to work from home conditions, a union says. -AAP Image

The Finance Sector Union is taking its fight against the Commonwealth Bank's return to office edict to the Fair Work Commission.

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The union filed the dispute on Wednesday after the bank told staff they would need to return to the office 50 per cent of the time from Monday.

Union national secretary Julia Angrisano said there was no consultation with workers before the reduction in work from home arrangements and a large number of members were unhappy with the decision.

"What the CBA has done is ignore the enterprise agreement and instead dictate changes to work from home arrangements that currently suit many of its employees," Ms Angrisano said.

"The COVID-19 pandemic proved that remote work is a sustainable model and this is convenient for vast numbers of workers."

She said members had complained to the union that mandating a return to the office would force them to spend more money on commuting and child care, interfere with their family life and lose at least two to three hours a day commuting.

"Some workers are so unhappy about the CBA's edict that they are considering whether to resign and seek other more flexible working arrangements," Ms Angrisano said.

The union is asking the commission to order the bankÂ to offer all affected staff remote working arrangements on mutually agreeable terms.

Commonwealth Bank has been contacted for comment.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press