Australian Bank Westpac has an interesting staff revolt on its hands. The employees are standing up and saying it is not right for the bank to force them to sell financial loans and products on a growing population of over indebted Australians.

Bank employees raise a very valid and interesting argument that they are being forced to not act I the best interest of their community and citizens of Australia because they feel that pushing high-risk financial products onto vulnerable customers is not the mark of a good neighbor or citizen with a conscience.

It does bring up a very interesting reality that bank employees are being literally forced to promote loan and financial products which lead to bank profits. Even if the staff does not feel it is either ethical or responsible.

According to press coverage from Australia, all employees want is the right to refuse to push financial products - such as insurance, credit cards and hefty personal loans - on customers who cannot meet their repayments.

"Our members want banks to be profitable but they're increasingly uncomfortable pushing debt in the current climate, where people are struggling to finance loans, even though bank profits are now in the billions.", said a bank employee union representative.

What is most interesting is if bank employees In the US and UK also feel like they are being forced to sell their soul and push unhealthy loans solely for the sake of meeting an internal sales quota set by management.

Do bank employees have a duty to exercise good judgment or are they forced to sell, sell, sell and further drive people deeper into debt just to improve the banks profit by yet another billion? Forget about the message that creditors claim that debtors are losing the stigma to bankruptcy because more and more people go bankrupt. Let’s just stop pushing financial products that people either should not have access to and do not need for two years and see how far down the bankruptcy rate goes then.

I wonder if it is fair to equate banking employees that push unhealthy financial products on consumers as being similar to a liquor store employee pushing more booze on those that are already drinking too much or known to be alcoholics. We would find that situation reprehensible and abhorrent but society continues to blame the debtor for financial problems. I say we go after the pushers instead of the addict.