Dispatches: union secures new pay deal for Westpac staff

Westpac has agreed to give 26,000 employees a 10 per cent pay rise over 26 months under a union agreement that allows staff to spread banking's traditional 38-hour Monday to Friday working week into the weekend. (The Australian)

Salaries may be on the move again in the financial services arena, with new research released by recruitment specialists Hays suggesting that 48 per cent of financial services employers expect to increase salaries by between 3 and 6 per cent. (Money Management)

National Australia Bank has been given another six weeks to try to sort out a deal with the competition regulator over its plans to buy fund manager AXA Asia Pacific for $14 billion. (The Age)