Various quarters have criticized the State Bank of India's recruitment rules for temporarily banning pregnant women from working for more than three months.


 

According to an e-circular issued by the bank, Om Prakash Mishra, Deputy Managing Director, Human Resources and Corporate Development, may be allowed to join on December 31, 2021. "CNBC-TV18 reviewed a copy of this document.

According to the SBI letter, previous recruitment guidelines stated that women can get a job in a bank until 6 months of pregnancy, “If the applicant submits a certificate from a specialist gynecologist, she will not be able to join the bank at that stage. . . It is unlikely that it will interfere with the normal development of her pregnancy or fetus or cause her miscarriage or adversely affect her health.

However, the new guidelines state, “If the pregnancy is less than three months, the candidate will be considered fit. However, if she is more than three months pregnant, she will be considered temporarily ineligible and allowed to join within four months of the baby being born.

These revised criteria for promotion are w.e.f. April 1, 2022, SBI Circular stated. For recruitment, the policy will come into effect from the date of approval of the circular, i.e. December 21, 2021.

The move has drawn criticism, with the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) calling the guidelines "anti-women" and calling on the SBI to withdraw them immediately.

“The revised reference is forcibly bringing back the insult. The custom discriminates against women. This is a violation of the Constitution which gives equal opportunities to all. "

The All India State Bank of India Employees Association (AISBIEA) letter to the SBI calling the new rules "anti-enemy and anti-woman" lacks "medical logic and scientific rationale". She said a similar proposal came a few years ago, but the bank withdrew it, and it was awe-inspiring to propose such a regressive amendment again.

The Employees Association states that any restrictions on employment during pregnancy must be lifted, the 6-month rule must be lifted, and pregnant women who are willing to work at any stage should not be excluded.

"SBI has changed the recruitment rules from 1.4.22 to discriminate further against women candidates who join SBI at 3 months and pregnant. We ask Madam Nirmala Sitharaman to intervene in this matter,” said CH Venkatachalam, General Secretary, All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA).

CPI parliamentary party leader and National Council secretary Binoy Viswam also wrote a letter to the finance minister on the matter. The universe seems to be temporarily disqualifying pregnant women aged three months and above in the pursuit of “female empowerment”, with FM Nirmala Sitharaman intervening and calling for the circular to be withdrawn. , Are in fact arbitrarily discriminated against. This approach fails to take into account the interests of working women and leads to further discrimination against them in the workplace. Women are constantly subjected to arbitrary policies rooted in patriarchal mindsets. It is terrible that state-owned banks are not only strengthening template practices but also actively contributing to their creation.

The Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has also criticized the move. In an open letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, CITU general secretary Tapan Sen demanded that the guidelines be withdrawn, saying it was "objectionable" to consider pregnant women as "temporarily ineligible" for service. "This action robs them of their seniority, salary and other benefits and is nothing more than an attempt to deny them maternity leave and other legal benefits," Sen said.