Bank holiday scrapped for front-line staff

Most Commonwealth Bank staff in New South Wales and the ACT will continue to enjoy that winter institution, the August bank holiday, though several thousand of their colleagues will have to forego the banking-industry-only long weekend and show up for work.

Most urban branches of CBA and a majority of regional branches will open on August 1.

Those working in business banking, investment banking, funds management and in the back office mostly won't have to work. This stance is consistent with the long-standing habit of most of the financial services' industry in Sydney, which continues to enjoy the holiday that dates from the nineteenth century and is well entrenched in most staff conditions.

Branch staff are supposed to volunteer for the work (in line with NSW law), for which the bank will pay double-time rates.