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The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has flipped on its decision to axe at least 45 customer service staff and replace them with AI after it faced backlash and pressure from workers.
Last month, the bank announced that it would be culling at least 45 customer service workers and replacing them with AI support chatbots.
“Our investment in technology, including AI, is making it easier and faster for customers to get help, especially in our call centres,” a CBA spokesman said regarding the voice bot.
“By automating simple queries, our teams can focus on more complex customer queries that need empathy and experience.
“To meet the changing needs of our customers ... we review the skills we need and how we’re organised to deliver the best customer experiences and outcomes. That means some roles and work can change.”
The move was immediately slammed by the Finance Sector Union (FSU).
“Just when we think CBA can’t sink any lower, they start cutting jobs because of AI on top of sneakily offshoring work to India,” said FSU national secretary Julia Angrisano.
“If this is what [CBA CEO] Matt Comyn calls productivity, we’re seriously concerned about his place at the national productivity roundtable.”
However, it turns out CBA’s claims of the AI lowering call volumes were false, with FSU members reporting that volumes were increasing, leading to CBA management asking team leaders to pick up the phones and the company offering overtime.
Following major pressure from FSU members and a Fair Work Commission dispute, the CBA decided to roll back the mass termination. Staff are being offered their jobs back or the option to take a voluntary exit payment.
“This is a massive win for workers, proving what can be achieved when members stand together – but let’s be clear, this is no victory lap,” said Angrisano.
“CBA has been caught out trying to dress up job cuts as innovation. Using AI as a cover for slashing secure jobs is a cynical cost-cutting exercise, and workers know it.”
The FSU isn’t letting off the pressure either. The union said that for the 45 workers, the damage has already been done, with staff unsure whether or not they would have the funds to support their families during almost a month of uncertainty.
The union is also continuing to collect worker accounts about the impact of AI on job security, workloads, and more, and it has a Fair Work Commission hearing scheduled for 25 August.
“Our members want to be part of the conversation about how new technology is used in banking. They want secure jobs today and the training needed for the jobs of the future, not to be discarded under the guise of efficiency,” added Angrisano.
“CBA likes to talk about being a digital leader, but real leadership means investing in your people, not tossing them aside and blaming the technology.”
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