Changes in Secured Advanced Financial Assistance – Operational Support redundancies
You should have seen today that leadership in CFA have announced that there are some changes in the operating model which will include increased digital investment resulting in automation of back-office processes. This will result in roles being removed in SAFA and colleagues being able to express a preference in what they want the next chapter of their career to look like.
SAFA Ops Support colleagues at Grade A and B in back-office teams will be briefed on what reductions will be implemented in their roles and when, and then be asked to look through their options and decide what their priority would be moving forwards. Colleagues can express an interest in any of the following 3 options:
Moving to a telephony role either within CFA or elsewhere in the group. This will be at the same grade as you are currently, and full training will be provided
Registering interest for voluntary redundancy. It is important to note that there are limited opportunities for this and there may have to be a selection process to ensure fairness if it is oversubscribed
Deciding to stay in CFA Ops Support. This may not be able to be in your current team and may be on another team within secured or unsecured which uses a similar skill set
Unite are always in favour of keeping jobs and would stress to the bank that with the increasing speed of automation and digitisation that they should be looking continuously to upskill colleagues to be able to work with the new processes and design the new systems. There is a high level of talent within LBG that shouldn’t be lost to other industries.
With that said, we know that there are a lot of people in this area who have subscribed to Unite’s bumping list. This will therefore likely come as a welcome announcement to a number of colleagues who wish to leave the bank. We would urge members to contact Lighthouse, Unite’s financial advisors, by calling 08000 85 85 90 before committing to a decision regarding your future. Please see overleaf for our FAQs.
I want to stay with the bank, what are my options?
As outlined, you have two options here. Firstly, you can look to move to a telephony role. We have plenty of reps and members in telephony roles within CFA and Customer Services who would be happy to chat through any queries you have, and CFA management have committed to ensuring any move comes with full relevant training.
You could also remain in Ops Support. Your role may be affected by the changes so you may not be able to stay in your team, but again, full training would be provided if you are to change team.
I want to leave, what do I do?
Unite would recommend speaking to Lighthouse, the union’s financial advice partner, to make sure that this is the right decision for you. Once you have made the decision and if you would still like to pursue this, outline to your TM that you want to pursue this option. This option is only available if you have completed 2 years’ service with the bank.
This option may not be available to everyone and will depend on the number of colleagues wishing to take this up. If there is more interest than the bank is able to accommodate, then there will be a selection process that should be fair that will be followed.
I am in Unsecured Ops Support/Financial Control, will I be able to apply for VR?
At the minute you will only be able to express an interest, as your area isn’t directly impacted by the changes. However, if the required number of volunteers aren’t reached within Secured, then you will be asked to confirm your decision and may be eligible.
I don’t know what I want to do?
Take your time. Speak with your line manager, speak with your family, speak with a rep. Take advantage of the financial advice on offer as outlined above and see what the right decision for you is. This could be a big step so it’s better to come to the right decision than a rushed one.
Any other queries
If you have any other queries about the changes, including the way that these changes affect other teams and roles in telephony, contact Unite using the following ways:
