[vicsireland] Re: The end of talking ATMs at National Irish Bank
- From: "Ed Harper" <goat@xxxxxx>
- To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2012 17:23:51 -0000
Hi Tim Robbie and all. Those of our membership who work in the banking sector
may be in a position to correct me, but it seems to me that our position as
VIPs is likely to worsen rapidly. The branch network of AIB is being
radically reduced and BOI seems to be running an unannounced policy of
downgrading the staff in branches. By that I mean the higher level functions,
such as the discussion of loans or other traditional functions of a manager,
who was stationed in a branch and thus knew the locality intimately, are being
shifted to the main cities and into the hands of specialists, roving "Advisors"
and "Account Managers" all of whom are based at a distance from rural Ireland.
I know that many of the VIP working population, possibly a disproportionate
number, as compared with the general population, live in or near the major
cities, largely because of the employment pattern of VIP workers, but
nevertheless the majority of VIP citizens are not actually workers. They are
unemployed or unemployable, by reason of multiple disabilities or age. For
this group, or thos of us who hang on in rural Ireland, mostly self-employed or
unemployed, the banking system is becoming increasingly inaccessible. It did
not seem unreasonable to expect the NIB talking ATMs to become more generally
available. If they could do it, why not the others? In fact many of the
ATMs around the place seem to have physical earphone sockets, which suggests
that it is only unwillingness to either use, or possibly purchase the necessary
software to make the machines accessible.
From choice, if I can get to a bank in banking hours, I would sooner deal with
a person than a machine, because of the employment implications of doing the
opposite, and because I actually enjoy dealing with people, but as hours and
branches recede into legend, we need an alternative.
This alternative is of course shakey enough for all of us with or without
sight, this year their have been two money famines in Skibbereen as the ATMs of
two different banks have gone on their own strikes, because of unspecified
technical difficulties.
We need to take a firm line on this as a group.
Sorry for the length of this, but it something which has been increasingly
worrying me, as I see branches falling like ash trees with the fungus around
West Cork.
Ed
----- Original Message -----
From: RobbieS
To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, November 05, 2012 12:06 PM
Subject: [vicsireland] Re: The end of talking ATMs at National Irish Bank
Hi Tim,
Sometime last summer, Emma Tracey did a good report on BBC Radio 4's In Touch
on the subject of talking ATMs. Apparently, in March of this year, the US
passed legislation making the provision of screen-reader facilities compulsory
and standard on all new ATMs in the US. How far we are from that.
Robbie
On Mon, Nov 5, 2012 at 9:45 AM, Tim Culhane <tim.j.culhane@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all,
Its with great regret that as a result of the decision of National Irish
Bank to close their entire branch network in the Republic, we will no longer
have access to their talking ATMs machines.
Naturally this is very disappointing news, but there isn't much we can do
about it.
I certainly hope that VICS will continue to lobby the remaining banks
operating in the Republic of Ireland to improve accessibility of their ATMs
machines, and perhaps in the future talking ATMs will return.
Regards,
Tim
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