Circular No.43/2020
To all Units, Affiliates, Office Bearers, CC & GC Members
6th July 2020
Dear Comrade,
Letters to DFS and IBA on alarming increase
of Covid-19 affected bank employees
We are receiving information of Covid-19 affected bank employees everyday which is alarming. From the initiation of Lockdown, all the authorities like different Departments of Govt. of India; the Indian Banks’ Association; the State Level Bankers’ Committees and the Bank level managements remained reluctant to implement health protocols and advisories in and around bank branches/offices, despite several letters addressed to them including Hon’ble Prime Minister and Union Finance Minister.
At present, the situation is too grave for us to remain silent. We wrote letters today addressing the Secretary, Department of Financial Services and the Chief Executive, Indian Banks’ Association. We advise our affiliates to take up the matters with respective bank managements for ensuring safety and security of our brethren working in the branches/offices.
Text of the letters appended below.
With greetings,
Yours comradely,
(Debasish Basu Chaudhury)
General Secretary
TEXT OF THE LETTER TO THE SECRETARY, DFS, GOI
QUOTE
We feel deeply concerned with reports published in media that India went past Russia yesterday to become the third worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic with the country’s tally of infections crossing 6.90 lakh. The Health Ministry data updated at 8 AM today showed a record single-day surge of 24850 corona virus infections on Sunday with death toll crossed 19000 marks. The country has registered over 20000 Covid-19 positive cases for the third day in a row. We understand, though relaxations of restrictions are being effected gradually, the spread of the pandemic in our country is far from over.
We wrote a number of letters to the Finance Ministry including to Hon’ble Prime Minister to ensure health protocols, announced from time to time, in and around the bank branches/offices to provide safety and security to the bank employees who are rendering service to the people since initiation of Lockdown as banking has been listed as essential services. We did not come cross any positive action from any of the authorities including the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). All the advisories issued by different departments, as also the IBA, remained in paper for the bank employees who time and again served the nation even going beyond their abilities.
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With steady increase in number of Covid-19 infected persons all over the country, information are pouring in everyday regarding alarming surge in infection among bank employees. The most disturbing point is that almost all the bank managements are somewhat reluctant in taking necessary action this matter. We are informed that bank managements are hesitant even to take decision of sending the employees of one branch/department to quarantine when another employee of the same branch/department gets infected. We strongly feel that it is high time for sincere implementation of health protocols as per announcement including compulsory sanitization of the bank premises at regular interval and a uniform guideline should be issued for sending the employees to quarantine once infection of Covid-19 is detected in a branch/department.
We urge upon your good offices to suitably advise Indian Banks’ Association to ensure proper implementation of health protocols by all their member banks as per advisories issued by appropriate authorities from time to time for safety of the work force. We like to further point out that obduracy on the part of individual bank management at any level will have adverse impact on harmonious industrial relations, which we want to avoid.
Anticipating positive response.
TEXT OF THE LETTER TO THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, IBA
We feel deeply concerned with reports published in media that India went past Russia yesterday to become the third worst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic with the country’s tally of infections crossing 6.90 lakh. The Health Ministry data updated at 8 AM today showed a record single-day surge of 24850 corona virus infections on Sunday with death toll crossed 19000 marks. The country has registered over 20000 Covid-19 positive cases for the third day in a row. We understand, though relaxations of restrictions are being effected gradually, the spread of the pandemic in our country is far from over.
We wrote a number of letters to the IBA for ensuring health protocols, announced from time to time by different departments of Govt. of India, in and around the bank branches/offices to provide safety and security to the bank employees who are rendering service to the people since initiation of Lockdown as banking has been listed as essential services. We did not come across any positive action. All the advisories issued by different departments, as also the IBA, remained in paper for the bank employees who time and again served the nation even going beyond their abilities.
With steady increase in number of Covid-19 infected persons all over the country, information are pouring in everyday regarding alarming surge in infection among bank employees. The most disturbing point is that almost all the bank managements are somewhat reluctant in taking necessary action this matter. We are informed that bank managements are hesitant even to take decision of sending the employees of one branch/department to quarantine when another employee of the same branch/department gets infected. We strongly feel that it is high time for sincere implementation of health protocols as per announcement including compulsory sanitization of the bank premises at regular interval and a uniform guideline should be issued for sending the employees to quarantine once infection of Covid-19 is detected in a branch/department.
We urge upon your good offices to suitably advise the member banks to ensure proper implementation of health protocols as per advisories issued by appropriate authorities from time to time for safety of the work force. We like to further point out that obduracy on the part of individual bank management at any level will have adverse impact on harmonious industrial relations, which is not desirable.
Your needful action is solicited.
Source : BEFI
