Meaningful change at RBS?

Royal Bank of Scotland’s new CEO Alison Rose – the first woman to head up a global bank – has been urged to use her leadership to bring “meaningful change” to the troubled organisation.

Rose took up her new position today (1 November), vowing to make the bank “more open, more accessible and more inclusive”.

Unite has sent a letter welcoming Rose to her appointment and calling on her to address staff concerns.

Unite national officer for finance, Rob MacGregor said, “Everybody feels a mixture of nerves and excitement when they start a new job, but for Alison Rose there is an incredible opportunity to turn things around at RBS.

‘Time for urgent change’

“Unite members are concerned about the security of their jobs, pay and reward, flexible working practices, increased stress and pressure upon their mental health, unreasonable targets and the gender pay gap. Now is the time for urgent change within the bank.”

The Unite letter to Alison Rose states: “Having worked within Royal Bank of Scotland Group for a number of years you will have seen the deep commitment and loyalty of staff within the organisation. Despite a decade of considerable change and significant upheaval the workforce has continued to work relentlessly to return RBS to profitability and deliver growth.

“Unite would like to meet with you at your earliest convenience in order to raise the issues that our members at Royal Bank of Scotland are concerned about and most importantly want action on in order to restore the confidence of staff.

“Since the financial crisis employees have seen thousands of their colleagues lose their jobs, many with years of service within the bank. They have seen the name of their employer, often appearing daily in the media, linked to numerous scandals or regulatory fines for poor practices. The workforce of RBS has had to pay for the mistakes made by the bank’s management.”