Bank union issues communications’ ban directive at HSBC

The Malta Union of Bank Employees has issued a communications ban directive at HSBC Bank Malta with effect from Friday 27 March 2015, following a serious disagreement in negotiations for a new collective agreement.

“MUBE is seriously concerned with HSBC’s behaviour and attitude towards the local workforce which is undermining career prospects to local hardworking employees. The Union cannot accept such an intransigent approach to negotiations whereby the bank has decided to unilaterally withdraw an originally agreed collective agreement at the end of last August’s negotiations,” the union said.

The union said that no reasonable efforts to seriously negotiate were forthcoming from HSBC management. “This has been also aggravated by unacceptably low increases in salary and mediocre bonus awards which emanated from a unilateral decision taken by the bank outside the collective agreement negotiations,” the union said.

“Whilst HSBC is adamant on holding back on local negotiations, MUBE is constantly receiving feedback that management is effectively spending much more on international recruits who are being paid ‘hefty’ financial packages and who seem to be leaving a negative impact on the balance sheet to the detriment of local employees.”

The union said that its directive may restrict some services to customers and regrets any inconvenience caused.