Dispute Cripples National's Atm Network

The Age

Wednesday February 1, 2006

MARC MONCRIEF, BANKING REPORTER

A THIRD of National Australia Bank's automated tellers around Melbourne could be offline for almost two months as an industrial dispute at armoured transport provider Brinks simmers in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

Transport Workers Union branch secretary Bill Noonan told The Age that Brinks employees had begun "protected industrial action" after growing dissatisfied with negotiations for a new enterprise bargaining agreement. The action prompted Brinks to lock out its employees, and armoured deliveries of cash to NAB's ATM network stopped.

Brinks would not comment on any aspect of the dispute.

Speaking from a picket line in front of Brinks' Tullamarine office, a man identifying himself as a Brinks employee told The Age the "industrial action" had consisted of a four-hour meeting last Thursday. He claimed that after the meeting employees were given a letter locking them out of work until March 20.

"We were authorised to have a meeting by the Industrial Relations Committee (sic) and then Brinks decided to lock the gates themselves, not us," the employee said. "At 4 o'clock on the 27th they locked us out. They actually asked us all to leave and they locked the gates on us and said 'don't come back until the 20th of March'."

Mr Noonan said the March 20 date corresponded to a window the union had set for industrial action and the company had ejected its employees for the duration. He said he hoped the issue could be resolved sooner.

"It is unusual for us to be taking industrial action in my term as branch secretary," Mr Noonan said. "If we can resolve things at first instance, well, my members aren't losing money, companies aren't losing productivity, the public aren't affected, business customers aren't affected and life moves on."

A hearing into the dispute began yesterday in the AIRC and continues this morning at 10am.

NAB spokeswoman Mikala Sabin said bank employees were refilling ATMs at branches, but about 100 remote machines could not be refilled. She said branches closed while employees, protected by armed guards, filled the machines using cash held on site.

"We are really in the hands of Brinks and how they manage the issue with their employees," Ms Sabin said.

She said the bank was developing contingency plans, and could decide to source their security from a different company if the situation continued to inconvenience customers.

"Teller machines have become the form of banking of preference for people," Mr Noonan said. "They are going to run out fairly quickly if they are not being replenished."

Finance Sector Union spokesman Rod Masson said replenishing ATMs incurred danger because of the large sums of money involved, and some union members felt uncomfortable refilling the ATMs in their own branches. Mr Masson said the bank seemed to be doing all it could to ensure the safety of employees, but warned the situation could not continue.

KEY POINTS

? Industrial action is hampering National Bank's ATM network.

? About 100 National Bank ATMs in Melbourne cannot be filled.

? The dispute at transporter Brinks may run until March 20.