Westpac chief customer engagement officer Ross Miller is heading a leadership team enjoying a retreat this week at Rydges Resort in the Hunter Valley wine country, at the same time the bank slashes jobs at an unprecedented rate.
The sprawling Rydges Resort advertises itself as a place where “work families gather…. for anything and everything imaginable. For conferences and business events that go beyond conventional, fun and renewal is added to every agenda.”
Finance Sector Union national secretary Julia Angrisano said it was regrettable that Ross Miller’s leadership team was enjoying the “wineries, walking trails, golf course, spa and fine dining” Rydges offers at the same time Westpac staff were being sacked.
“This is slap in the face for Westpac staff who have lost jobs during already challenging economic times and have told us that they will be unable to make ends meet,” Ms Angrisano said.
“It’s a bad look for Ross Miller’s leadership team to be kicking up its heels at the expense of the jobs of Westpac workers further down the food chain.”
Ms Angrisano said 77 Westpac staff were made redundant this month, with a total of 751 jobs cut from the bank so far this year.
Westpac justified the latest job losses by saying: “We need to carefully manage our expenses as part of the Group’s cost reset program, while taking into account the ongoing economic uncertainty across the country.”
“It is hypocritical for Westpac to be pushing our members out the door while Ross Miller’s leadership team takes a luxury Hunter Valley break,” Ms Angrisano said.
