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Bank staff are under pressure to direct customers away from branches, the union representing financial services workers says.
Last week Bankwest announced it would close 60 branches in Western Australia by the end of the year, leaving some regional communities without in-person service.
Bankwest said the decision to go fully digital was driven by "rapidly changing customer preferences, with 97 per cent of all Bankwest transactions now completed digitally and fewer than two per cent of customers visiting a branch regularly".
But Wendy Streets from the Finance Sector Union said this was not the full picture and said the proof was in the bank's internal documents.
"There's certainly an element of customers who are going to digital banking, there's no doubt about that," she told the ABC.
"But what we know from our members is they are forced to send customers onto the digital path of banking.
"Their annual performance reviews and their [key performance indicators, KPIs] have a dedicated portion for digital migration of customers.
"So when banks say customers are making these decisions, that's not 100 per cent true.
"A lot of the customers are being driven to that by the bank's own behaviours."
'More effective means'
The union sent the ABC a 2020 Bankwest job advertisement for a teller role that listed the ability to "introduce customers to more effective means of banking" and "[supporting] migration initiatives" as key accountability criteria.
It also sent an internal Bankwest document entitled FY24 Key Performance Indicators that listed "digital migration" as a weighted KPI.
In a statement responding to questions about the digital migration KPIs, Bankwest told the ABC that its "company-wide goals" were "focused on helping our customers' access simple and easy banking solutions, wherever they choose to do so, while retaining a range of options for customers to access cash services if they prefer".
"We believe it will always be important to educate our customers on alternative banking options, safely and securely," a spokesman said.
"We receive positive feedback from many customers on the choice and convenience this offers them."
Under fire at senate hearing
On Wednesday, Bankwest fronted a senate inquiry in Tom Price, 1,000 kilometres north of Perth, where representatives were asked whether the 2020 job ad showed that the pathway to branch closures started years ago.
"What I will say is we take pride in the innovation we create for our customers through digital platforms," Bankwest spokesman Scott Spittles told the hearing.
"It is incumbent on us to find simpler and easier ways for our customers to do banking and give them choice and convenience of options of how to do banking."
But he came under fire from senators over the bank's decision not to consult with regional communities over the closures.
"With due respect, you said you write to local government," Slade Brockman said.
"That's informing them of a decision — that's not consultation."
Staff sympathetic, union says
Ms Streets said staff understood the frustration over the push to digital-only banking.
"[Customers] get sick and tired of being pestered and they don't necessarily understand the pressure that the staff are under from their employer," she said.
"Bankwest customers this week are outraged at the bank's decision to close the entire retail network and convert it to a digital bank."
Ms Streets said the union had doubts about whether Bankwest could redeploy all affected staff.
"There is no way on in the world 350 displaced staff will all be redeployed under this move," she said.
"There will be an element of staff who are redeployed, but predominantly in the in the Perth area.
"Once you get out into the regions, we fear there'll be a huge amount of unemployed staff out of this decision by the bank."