The Finance Sector Union (FSU) has raised concerns about jobs cuts at Acenda, the company that was formed from the merger of MLC Life, Resolution Life Australia and Asteron Life New Zealand last year.
The union states Acenda has cut around 280 roles, mainly from the MLC Life side of the merged business, and fears further cuts may take place.
The FSU said first tranche of job cuts saw 85 upper middle management roles lost, followed by around 150 lower middle management roles, and a third round of more than 50 further redundancies.
The union has initiated a formal dispute with Acenda claiming it hasn’t properly consulted workers on major workplace changes. A claim the firm denies.
A spokesperson for Acenda said bringing the businesses together has led to new organisational structure “…that will enable us to deliver on our strategy and our customer commitments”.
“We recognise this has a real impact on people, which is never easy. We commenced an extensive and considered consultation process with our people in January that had a very strong focus on supporting those impacted by these changes.
“This included offering opportunities for redeployment wherever possible, while providing appropriate transition support and assistance to those leaving the business. The FSU was consulted throughout this process.”
