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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Business
Madeline Link

'Outrageous': Union criticises Westpac's decision to move Charlestown banks under one roof

A Westpac ATM in Newcastle. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

WESTPAC'S decision to bring its St George Bank branch at Charlestown under the same roof has been met with criticism from the Financial Services Union (FSU).

FSU national secretary Julia Angrisano has called the decision to shut down 20 branches across four states "simply outrageous".

"Westpac is brazenly closing branches month after month as a means of propping up profits and bonuses for senior executives," she said.

"It is simply outrageous that Westpac can continually kill off jobs and close branches and nothing is being done to stop them."

The branches will co-locate at Pearson Street from April 4.

A Westpac Group spokesman said co-locations exist across the country.

"Co-locations are an important part of our strategy, bringing two branches together under one roof to maintain a strong presence for both brands, ensuring our customers in the region will continue to have access to all the services they have today, supported by the same people," he said.

A number of branches have been co-located in Lithgow, Dubbo, Grafton, Mudgee and Lismore.

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