HSBC scrapping Welsh line shows lack of respect - ex worker

Sian Elin Jones says HSBC's decision to scrap its Welsh service was "very disappointing"

The woman who launched HSBC's bilingual policy in Wales has said the bank's decision to scrap its Welsh language phone line made her "very angry".

From 15 January customers will only be able to contact the bank in English.

Sian Elin Jones said the bank had shown "a lack of respect, dedication and a lack of understanding".

HSBC's managing director wrote to Members of the Senedd saying the move was not "taken lightly" and apologised for the "disappointing news".

Ms Jones, who worked for HSBC for 16 years and launched the bank's Welsh language policy in the late 1990s, acknowledged that the number of Welsh speakers contacting HSBC was "extremely low".

She added that there had been a huge decline in the bank's Welsh language services for over a decade.

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Even the Welsh government's target of one million Welsh speakers would not be enough for the bank to continue to operate the service, she added.

Labour, Conservatives and Plaid Cymru politicians have all urged HSBC to reverse the decision.

"HSBC no longer has a Welsh headquarters and management comes now from Birmingham where there is not much interest in the Welsh language or Welsh matters at all," Ms Jones told Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast programme.

The bank, which has closed 12 branches in Wales in the past year, said the Welsh language line was "no longer being fully utilised" and got 22 calls a day, compared to 18,000 for the English ones.

HSBC said people could still get a call back in Welsh "within three working days".