BackSBI revokes ‘discriminatory’ recruitment rules for pregnant women candidates. Details here
SBI had recently put in place new rules wherein a woman candidate with more than three months pregnancy will be considered 'temporarily unfit'Earlier, women candidates with up to six months of pregnancy were allowed to join the bank subject to various conditions.
PremiumThe State Bank of India (SBI) has decided to revise its recent instructions regarding the recruitment of pregnant women candidates, according to a statement issued on Saturday.
The country's largest lender had earlier this week put in place new rules wherein a woman candidate with more than three months pregnancy will be considered "temporarily unfit" and can join the bank within four months after delivery.
For recruitment, it said, the policy will be effective from the date of approval 21 December 2021. The revised standards in respect of promotion will be applicable with effect from 1 April 2022, it said.
The move had elicited criticism from some quarters, including from the All India State Bank Of India Employees' Association and the Delhi Commission for Women.
DCW chairperson Swati Maliwal took to Twitter to share that the policy “is both discriminatory and illegal. We have issued a Notice to them seeking withdrawal of this anti-women rule."
According to the SBI employees' association general secretary KS Krishna, the union had written to SBI management urging it to withdraw the guidelines.
“The proposed amendment by the bank is fundamentally prejudicial and against womanhood. The proposed amendment will be unconstitutional as it discriminates against women, by treating pregnancy as a disease/disability," he said.
"It cannot be forced upon a woman to have a choice between bearing a child and employment as it interferes both with her reproductive rights and her right to employment and such an action cannot have any place in the present modern era," added Krishna.
Following this, the lender said in a statement: “SBI recently reviewed various Fitness Standards for Recruitment in Bank, incl norms for Pregnant Women candidates. Revised guidelines were intended to provide clarity on health parameters where instructions were not clear or were very old."
“In some sections of the media, the revision in norms in this regard has been interpreted as discriminatory against women. SBI has always been proactive towards the care and empowerment of its women employees who now constitute around 25% of our workforce," it added.
The bank went on to say that after the Covid-19 surge, the government had instructed pregnant women to work from home for their safety.
“However, in view of the public sentiments, SBI has decided to keep the revised instructions regarding recruitment of pregnant women candidates in abeyance and continue with the existing instructions in the matter," said the SBI.
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