The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has reversed its decision to cut 45 customer service roles, admitting it mishandled the process and failed to account for rising call volumes. The reversal comes after pressure from the Finance Sector Union (FSU), which challenged the bank’s justification that its new AI-powered “voice bot” had reduced call demand.
CBA initially announced the redundancies last month, citing declining call volumes due to the introduction of the AI system. Union members disputed that claim, saying demand was actually climbing. According to the FSU, the bank was struggling to cope, resorting to offering staff overtime and even directing team leaders to answer calls.
The FSU took the matter to the Fair Work Commission, where CBA conceded it had “got it wrong.” The bank acknowledged it had not properly considered that elevated call volumes would persist for months. Management has agreed to apologize to the 45 affected workers, while still offering voluntary exit payments to those who wish to leave.
Union leaders hailed the backflip as a major win for staff but noted that the damage had already been done. Many employees, including long-serving staff, endured weeks of uncertainty over their livelihoods. “Getting CBA to rescind these job cuts is a massive win – but the damage has already been done,” the union said in a statement.
The dispute over AI-related redundancies forms part of a broader conflict between the union and CBA. The FSU has filed two separate cases with the Fair Work Commission, accusing the bank of offshoring roles in breach of its Enterprise Agreement and replacing jobs with AI without transparency.
The union urged workers to continue sharing their experiences, warning that “we can never trust employers to do the right thing by workers” and stressing the importance of collective action in protecting jobs.
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