ANZ call centre jobs shifting from Aussie to Wellington

SYDNEY - ANZ Banking Group plans to introduce customer call sharing between its call centres in Australia and New Zealand, resulting in the shift of 100 jobs to Wellington.

The bank says no one will be made redundant in Australia because it plans to not replace staff who leave voluntarily.

The change will take place from May, when Australian customers calling the bank with simple requests may find themselves talking to call centre staff in Melbourne or Wellington, depending on time of day and resourcing levels.

The jobs shift to Wellington will be made progressively over six months by not replacing staff who leave the Australian call centres.

ANZ head of Australian operations Brian Hartzer said load sharing on calls, such as change of address requests and password resets, would give the bank more flexibility.

"Over time there will be 100 fewer roles in our Melbourne call centres and an equivalent increase in Wellington," he said.

"However this will be managed through natural attrition, which runs at around 30 per cent annually in the call centre, rather than through redundancies."

ANZ will consider opportunities for its Australian call centre to manage certain calls from New Zealand customers, but said there were no specific plans at this stage.

ANZ's Australian call centres employ almost 900 staff.

"Banking is changing and we need to change with it to compete and better serve our customers," Mr Hartzer said.

"We know times are difficult and we think this is a responsible way to make this change."

He said the bank was "doing what we need to, to run the business efficiently" while also trying to minimise the impact on its workforce.

The Financial Sector Union (FSU) said the bank's plan was a "slap in the face for Australian taxpayers".

It said ANZ had been among the biggest beneficiaries of taxpayer assistance since October last year, including the federal government's bank deposit guarantee scheme and commitment to underwrite bank borrowings in wholesale lending markets.

"ANZ bank has pocketed billions of dollars in profits off the backs of Australian taxpayers - at least A$5 billion ($6.3 billion) in past 15 months - and yet it continues to send the jobs of Australian workers overseas," FSU national secretary Leon Carter said in a statement.

- AAP