Commenting in advance of the Post Bank event in the Scottish Parliament this afternoon (Thursday 25 June), Grahame Smith, Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) General Secretary said:
“As the first anniversary of the near collapse of HBOS and RBS approaches, the bonus culture is returning and precious little progress has been made on meaningful regulatory reform. People are quite rightly querying whether anything has changed.
“Government must therefore recognise the strength of the case for a Post Bank. As the coalition rightly argues, a Post Bank has the potential to remedy deeply ingrained problems in the UK financial system: the failure to address both financial exclusion and the appallingly poor service provided to small business and social enterprises by the UK’s overly consolidated high street banks.
“A Post Bank will also create jobs across urban and rural communities in Scotland and help to support the trusted and valued Post Office network.
“The financial crisis provided an opportunity for progressive change. Establishing a Post Bank will ensure that this opportunity isn’t squandered”.
ENDS
Notes
A comprehensive proposal for a new ‘Post Bank’ to run as part of the post office network will be launched at Holyrood today (Thursday 25th June) by a coalition of trade unions, FSB, pensioner and pressure groups and charities.
Representatives from all Scottish parties are attending the event which takes place between 2.30pm and 3.30pm in Committee Room 3 at the Scottish Parliament. Speakers from the Communication Workers Union, Federation of Small Businesses, New Economics Foundation, and Scottish Pensioners Forum will outline the Post Bank campaign. The campaign is supported by the STUC.
Contact
Stephen Boyd 0141 337 8100
Ann Henderson 0141 337 8100