The year has just begun and Desjardins has already planned to close around twenty service centers by March. Of the lot, eight counters will disappear in Nouvelle-Beauce where the management of the Caisse claims to be a victim of the lack of manpower.
• Read also: Desjardins: disappearance of nearly 30% of service centers since 2015
Earlier this month, Le Journal wrote that the financial institution had closed 69 service centers last year. Since 2015, the number of service centers has shrunk by 30% in Quebec and Ontario, going from 1,122 to 790.
In an email sent to the Journal, the general manager of the Caisse de La Nouvelle-Beauce indicated that the eight establishments affected on its territory will close on March 4. They will be transformed into automated service centers, that is to say without employees and with automatic teller machines.
The municipalities concerned are Saint-Elzéar, Sainte-Marguerite, Sainte-Hénédine, Saints-Anges, Saint-Patrice-de-Beaurivage, Saint-Narcisse-de-Beaurivage, Saint-Sylvestre and Scott.
Many reasons
The management of the Caisse de La Nouvelle-Beauce emphasizes that its board of directors made this decision following reflection.
The “very low” use of these counters by members “no longer justified their maintenance”. The “screaming” lack of personnel in several places and the tightening of security measures also weighed in the balance.
Since 2020, remember that an employee at Desjardins can no longer be alone in the presence of money in a cash register.
“All these elements no longer allowed us to keep our service centers open in the traditional way,” replied General Manager Pierre Jr St-Marseille, specifying that premises will always be accessible to members for advisory services, by appointment. .
Last summer, the lack of manpower also forced Desjardins to temporarily reduce its services in some twenty caisses across the province, particularly in Beauce.
In Abitibi-Témiscamingue, two service center closures were recently announced by Caisse de l’Abitibi-Ouest management. The municipalities affected are Normétal and Taschereau.
Among the 21 service centers that are closing their doors, five establishments have already stopped welcoming customers in January.
Today, transactions in the caisses represent only 1% (23 million) of all transactions carried out at Desjardins.
