CBA reverses AI-driven job cuts after Fair Work challenge – AFR

Published 21/08/2025, 01:06

Investing.com-- Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX:CBA) has scrapped plans to axe dozens of jobs linked to artificial intelligence after admitting it underestimated staffing needs, the Australian Financial Review reported on Thursday.

The bank had announced in July that it would cut 45 call centre roles following the rollout of a voicebot system.

But after the Finance Sector Union (FSU) took the case to the Fair Work Commission, CBA conceded that workloads had increased and said the roles were not redundant, the AFR report said.

CBA chief executive Matt Comyn told the AFR the bank had apologised to staff and was offering them the choice to stay or take voluntary redundancy. 

The reversal came as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Economic Reform Roundtable discussed AI regulation. Unions pushed for stronger worker protections, while the government signalled a review of existing rules rather than a separate AI law.

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