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Blue Flash 04/2023

Working at ING can damage your health

In February, the management announced a mass dismissal of those who scored 'needs improvement' in the latest evaluations. 689 people received this rating; 120 of them will be asked to leave the company immediately. The others had better get their act together very quickly...





ING does not consider it useful to use the second chance procedure.

This procedure used to be designed to keep people on board and to propose a remediation plan, for example by imposing a language course in case of insufficient knowledge, etc. ING is now taking a 180° turn on this procedure, which is becoming a means of leading our colleagues to the exit.

Even the long-term sick are affected by this forced exit.

It goes without saying that we, the trade unions, strongly contest this way of acting.

A new "voluntary redundancy plan" for the DBPI and Logistics departments, which had been set up as a pilot, was presented at the February works council. Suddenly classified as confidential following strong pACLVB/CGSLB, and then submitted to the National Trade Union Delegation, the subject was finally brought up again at the Works Council meeting of 16 March 2023. A sleight of hand in all its splendour. "

In any case, no trade union approved this plan! Management unfortunately decided to implement it unilaterally. There has been no dialogue, no legal framework, in other words, no respect for the rules of the game of social consultation. ACLVB/CGSLB demanded that this be recorded in the minutes.

The management replied that it was not a game. Indeed, without rules, it cannot be called a game: ING imposes its will on the other players.

And that is not yet enough! ING is still thinking about other avenues... shhhh! It's confidential! The unions must be gagged.

All these measures are in addition to the Collective Labour Agreement of March 2021: Developments and accompanying measures, which had been "sold" in the press as the introduction of a 50%-50% telework system at ING. Today, everyone knows what this was really about. It should be remembered that ACLVB/CGSLB had seen through management's game by opposing this CLA.

If the other groups that signed this CLA remain silent, it is because it contains a social peace clause between the signatories. This explains a lot, but in reality, today, an uppercut is given to those who still want to agitate.

Indeed, all these new initiatives erode the March 2021 collective agreement a little more. For the first time, management admits that this collective agreement is nauseating because of the various Job-2-Job processes. Many people have already been put to the test several times.

With the 'voluntary redundancy scheme', ING hopes to offer the tired, mocked and sick employee the opportunity to leave anyway, provided that he or she is knocked out, like a wrestler on the Tatami who barely passes out after an unbearable chokehold.

What is contradictory is that ING now wants to keep the reins in hand and will ultimately decide who can leave and who cannot. In other words, where more than 3,000 people were fired in 2016 - whether they had a good or bad profile - ING is now trying to 'hold the good people hostage' by getting rid of the weak.

This is called performance management or, in other words, the battle of the strongest.

Coincidentally or not, all these measures come at a time when the collective agreement of March 2021 is entering its final year. For 2023, this collective agreement stipulates that there is no guarantee of a new job for every job that disappears. The payment provisions of this collective agreement therefore come into effect as soon as a new announcement is made. Does ING want to get rid of its employees at a lower cost by means of the above-mentioned initiatives?

Are the absenteeism figures too high and does it therefore want to artificially correct the situation?

Or does ING already want to anticipate a new announcement of staff cuts in 2024 and risk falling back into a Loi Renault scenario, thus already moving up a gear?

In any case, all the trade unions have noted a significant increase in the number of exit files!

In addition, ING has announced that it wants to return to a 50%-50% teleworking system by forcing its employees to spend more time in the office again. New studies show that teleworking is not so good for your health after all. A new confirmation that the March 2021 collective agreements were not the healthiest in recent years. "Well-being": there is the word and there is the practice....

The fact is that it is better to look after your own health.

We also believe that a resignation "by mutual consent" should not be considered lightly. Voluntary resignation, on the other hand, is totally inadvisable. It could have consequences for your social security.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact one of our representatives.


Unrest in Business Banking?

Following the Works Council of 17 March 2022 on the Business Banking Strategy, a real restructuring took place in the framework of the so-called "Route 24".

The objectives of such announcements are apparently always laudable: "Empowering people to stay a step ahead in life and business".

But what is it really in reality? Is it really to meet the expectations of customers, after seeing changes in their behaviors ... Or is it a change in behavior more than encouraged by the bank pushing the "do it yourself"? It's no secret that ING's goal is "Digital first". The ambition is this: "Digital first, Remote when possible, Face-to-face when needed". A "Route 24" that probably "simplifies" excessively and that certainly does not meet the demand of all customers, sometimes waiting for simple advice with a real interlocutor, failing which they join the competition.

A figure that illustrates today's reality? Regarding ING's market share in mortgages, it was xx% of Record Bank's time and has fallen to x%! With the support of CLT (some of which are already starting to be restructured), new digital offers, the creation of BSET (Business Service Expert Team), a large number of employees hired in the RAC- (Retail Advice Center Mortgage), but it is not certain that this new bric-a-brac really meets customer expectations. Probably those of only some of them.

Where are we one year later? The pressure on the staff is still on, falling top-down, like a cold shower. Some managers do not hesitate to charge employees who have just received their objectives for the year, even though the year has already begun: "If you don't achieve the objectives set, don't count on the manager's efforts!

The direct result on the staff: growing demotivation, colleagues who literally crack up and others who leave the company to offer their skills to another employer who will be able to make the most of them with greater respect for the worker.


Profit Premium / Collective premium

This benefit will be paid on April 28th 2023 (following approval of the accounts by the Annual General Meeting)







Eligibility conditions

  • Having at least three months' service at 4 January 2023 (fixed-term or permanent contracts). Therefore to benefit from the profit premium (pro-rata based on your time worked), you must have joined the Bank no later than 4 October 2022.

  • The amount is adjusted pro-rata based on service in 2022. Part-time work and non-assimilated absences are taken into account

The net amounts of the sum of the profit premium and of the non-recurring result-related benefit can be found via People Services "Profit premium / Collective premium


NB: Your tax return

The amount of the non-recurring benefit linked to results will be included on your tax statement 281.10, under heading 242. This entry allows the tax authorities to check that the benefit does not exceed the maximum exempt amount as prescribed by law.

This amount should be entered under heading 1242 of your tax return (heading 2242 if you fill out a joint return with your partner).


The bicycle allowance

The bicycle allowance for commuting to and from work will be increased to 27 cents per km from May. ING is thus responding to the ACLVB/CGSLB's request to continue its efforts in the field of sustainability and to play its pioneering role.




The budgets for rental bikes will also be increased to 6,000 euros for ordinary electric bikes and 8,000 euros for speed pedelecs.

A more detailed communication on this subject will follow shortly.


360° As a trade union, our job is also to be there for you when you are not at work.


At the ACLVB/CGSLB, our members are our priority. We attach great importance to our personal approach, as well as to our four core values: freedom, solidarity, responsibility and tolerance. That's why we are not only at your side for professional matters, but also in your life outside of work.



From taxation to your rights as a landlord or tenant, from grants and financial aid to your mobility, at ACLVB/CGSLB, our job is also to assist you when you are not working!

Quels sont les thèmes couverts par nos services à 360° ?

  • Inheritance law

  • Professional support

  • Digital support

  • Incentives and financial interventions

  • Forms of living together

  • Cross-border work

  • Rights of owners and tenants

  • Additional income

  • Taxation

  • Mobility



We wish you a good holiday and a happy Easter.














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