The bank will slash a least 122 jobs in Western Australia that are part of the Bankwest Business Banking Transition Team – which was established in 2022 to help withdraw Bankwest from business banking.

At least 32 of these impacted workers will be appointed to new roles within the Commonwealth Bank group. 

This totals almost 400 roles since Commonwealth Bank closed Bankwest’s entire retail branch and ATM network in Western Australia last year, according to the Finance Sector Union.

It said Commonwealth Bank promised the WA Government that it would create 500 more jobs after the closures but has continued to cut jobs and send work overseas.

The FSU’s national assistant secretary Jason Hall said the state government had been “sold a pup here” over the jobs promise.

“Instead, the bank continues to cut local jobs,” Mr Hall said.

“Clearly that commitment was an empty promise by CBA to take the heat off for abandoning an entire community. Is that really acceptable to the WA community and Government?”

A Bankwest spokesperson said it had "successfully recruited Western Australians into more than 370 of the 500 roles redirected to WA".

Mr Hall continued to tear into the bank, declaring workers were “fed up” of being at risk of losing their jobs as they "faced uncertainty" since the bank revealed it was withdrawing business banking.

“Our members have told us time and time again they are under pressure and overworked in many areas of Bankwest due to the bank’s relentless slew of job cuts and offshoring,” Mr Hall said.

“These latest job cuts leave fewer than a dozen workers – barely a skeleton staff – remaining to pick up the pieces.”

The union has called on Commonwealth Bank to redeploy the impacted staff and said it will be writing to WA Treasurer Rita Saffioti to seek an urgent meeting and to intervene on the matter.

A Bankwest spokesperson said the work of the business banking transition team “was always due to be time limited” and meant the roles will be impacted.

“At least 32 of these impacted colleagues are expected to be directly appointed to new roles in the CBA Group,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“90 WA-based colleagues who will not be directly appointed to new roles, and who are currently on either Bankwest or CBA contracts will explore new opportunities in the Group.

“The Group currently has more than 100 open Bankwest and CBA roles in Western Australia, and it will work closely with colleagues impacted by this change, to support them in exploring new career opportunities in the Group.”