Finance workers protest against greed of banking bosses
10th February 2009
Finance staff will protest outside the
Treasury select committee hearing:
Date: Tuesday 10th February 2009, 9am
Location: Outside Portcullis House, Victoria Embankment
Unite members from across the financial services sector will
today (Tuesday 10th February) protest outside a hearing where
senior banking executives will be questioned.
The workers from banks and insurance companies will protest at
the hearing of the Treasury select committee, where the chief
executives of the largest finance companies are being questioned.
Workers will say to the senior bankers: “Remember us? You've put
our jobs at risk!”
Workers are angry that while executives award themselves bumper
pay rises, their staff can earn as little as £12,000 and many are
struggling to provide for their families.
Derek Simpson, Unite joint general secretary, said: “These
senior bankers have brought the UK’s financial services industry to
its knees without any acknowledgement of the misery that they have
caused the hard-working staff in the sector.
“Unite members across the country will no-longer stand by as the
staggering greed and excesses of those at the top of this industry
compromises the position of dedicated finance workers, who deserve
fair pay.
“The Treasury Select Committee must ask tough questions of these
‘masters of disaster’ who have yet to be held to account on their
role in the current financial crisis.
“There is public anger that these executives are continuing to
receive what president Obama called ‘shameful’ bonuses. Yet workers
face uncertainty that their jobs are at risk.
“Unite is demanding that the recent financial support from the
government is tied to clear commitments to secure vital jobs and
make the industry more transparent and accountable. Only then can
the excesses of these bankers be reigned in. Our ‘Social Contract’
for the financial services sector sets out our demands for
reforming the industry.”
ENDS
For more information on the photo opportunity please contact:
Saba Mozakka, Unite Press Office on: 020 7420 8916 or 07768 693
953
Notes to Editors
Staff will be wearing t-shirts and carrying placards saying:
“Remember us? You've put our jobs at risk!”
Unite has drawn up a Social Contract for the financial services
sector which is calling the government and finance companies to
adhere to. The five principles are:
- Recognition of Unite as a key stakeholder in the future of the
financial services industry
- To ensure the employment security of employees in the finance
sector
- To protect and improve the terms and conditions of employees,
including pension arrangements
- End the remuneration packages of senior executives which reward
short-termism and irresponsible risk taking
- Overhaul of the regulatory structures of the financial services
sector to include trade union involvement in order to enhance the
accountability of finance institutions
Email to a friend
Want to share this story? These sites allow you to tag and share links across the internet enabling you to share these links with friends and people with similar interests. You can also access your links from any computer you happen to be using.
