RBS staff face disciplinary action over bank accounts

Staff at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) who have failed to open an account with the bank have been threatened with disciplinary action.

A letter sent to staff from Gordon Pell, RBS chief executive of retail markets, warned that employees who had not opened a bank account with an RBS group company, such as NatWest,†for their salary to be†paid into could face disciplinary action. “Failure to do so will represent a breach of group policy and I will be obliged to write directly to your line manager asking them to progress this matter according to the group’s disciplinary policy,” Pell’s letter stated.

The union Amicus, which has a membership helpline for RBS staff, has expressed unhappiness with the letter. Alison MacLean, Amicus regional officer, said: “We have been talking to the company saying this is heavy handed, it is disproportionate. These are staff that work hard for the bank, do everything that’s asked of them and then suddenly, out of the blue, they get threatened with disciplinary action for not having a bank account with them.”

The union said that while holding an account with RBS has long been the bank’s policy, it has not been strictly policed. MacLean added that Amicus is taking legal advice and is prepared to fight for its members. It has asked the bank to reconsider its position.

RBS was unavailable for comment when approached by Employee Benefits.