Refusal to give job in the bank by saying that pregnancy is a disease: Women candidates were asked – do periods come on time? Uterus-ovary are fine – no problem in breast?

Indian state-owned bank ‘Indian Bank’ recently issued a circular and made a surprise announcement. It said that women who are pregnant for 3 months or more are not eligible to work in the bank. He has been declared unfit. That is, if a woman is pregnant naturally, then she is being seen as a disease by saying that she is medically unfit. Women’s organizations and bank-workers’ federations of the country are opposing this order and are pressurizing the bank to withdraw it.

Women were asked whether there is problem in uterus-ovary and breast?
Do you know that this is not the first time that a bank has taken out such a strange order without thinking anything and then it has also been withdrawn. Sources say that in the year 2020-21, the same Indian Bank had sought information from its women employees related to their gynecological and genital parts. Before joining the bank, it was compulsory for the female to fill a medical form. In which they were asked whether you get periods on time? Are your uterus and ovaries correct? Do you have any disease related to it? If so, what is the disease and for how long? Do you have any breast related disease? such as cancer. Whereas no such form is filled from men and no such questions are asked.

Why are banks treating pregnancy as a disease?
Before Indian Bank, India’s largest state-run bank State Bank of India (SBI) had issued a similar circular in December 2021. In which pregnant women were not being included in the recruitment process. Raising voice against this, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) wrote a letter in SBI Headquarters, after which that circular was withdrawn by the bank.

On the issue of Indian Bank, on June 15, a letter has been written to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, appealing to take action on the anti-women policy. Maryam Dhawale, Delhi General Secretary of Advawa, tells in a conversation with Woman Bhaskar that when the country’s big banks bring rules like discriminating against women in this way, then other banks also adopt such policies.

She says that along with Indian Bank, Tamil Nadu Grama Bank (TNGB) has also issued similar guidelines on the lines of Indian Bank. In which it has been written that pregnant women of more than 6 months should not be included in the bank service. It has also been said that women can become part of the bank service only after passing the medical test three months after the birth of the child. Mariyal says that these guidelines are completely pushing women back in the workplace. On one hand, schemes are being brought in the country on the theme of ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. Talks are being made to make the office workable for mothers and pregnant women. On the other hand, some government banks are issuing decrees giving another excuse of not giving jobs to women.

Canara Bank asked women – when was the last time periods came?
The country’s third largest state-run bank ‘Canara Bank’ in the year 2014 and Indian Bank in the year 2020 issued guidelines for submission of medical declaration forms from particular women, ascertaining the information related to their genital parts.
Women who cleared the written test, cleared the interview to get the job in the bank. All personal information was asked in a medical form before giving him the job. On the basis of which it is to be decided whether he is fit for this job or not.

Indian Bank got the form out in the name of “For Female Candidates Only”. In which all the information and diseases related to the woman’s uterus, ovary, cervix and breast were asked. Even on which date the last period came, the questions were asked.

Canara Bank also brought out a similar form. In it, along with these questions, patients of other diseases like HIV, kidney, hypertension and cancer were told unfit to work in the bank.

On bringing such rules, the bank employees opposed the policy, the matter even reached the Supreme Court and the bank had to withdraw its rule. Today, even after 8 years, the situation is the same, once again the bank is avoiding giving job opportunities to women by calling pregnancy and periods a disease.

Are such rules being brought with the approval of the government?
In this case, Debashish Basu Choudhary, General Secretary, Bank Employees Federation of India, says that to get a job in a government bank, every candidate has to first clear the IBPS (Institute of Banking Personnel Selection) exam. Every year crores of people pass the examination and get jobs in the banking sector. After the written test, there is an interview. After this there is a medical test. In this also minor information is taken, which directly means the work of the bank. As if there is no problem with the eyes. Whether color blind or not, there is not much problem of BP. But you can never ask for personal information of the applicant.

Debashish explains that government banks come under the finance ministry and before implementing any rule here, it is discussed in the board of a bank. In which the heads of the main government banks of the country are included. Along with this, government representatives also become a part of it. If the board meeting could not be held due to any reason, then before bringing the guideline, the bank implements it after giving permission in writing to the board. But even in this case, it is not known whether it has been placed before the board before taking such a big decision related to bank recruitment or not?

How are big banks like SBI bringing such guidelines at their level and also withdrawing them. In this way the bank has started functioning like a private bank, not a government one, it raises questions on the whole system in itself. The Bank Employees Federation of India recently wrote a letter to the Chennai Headquarters of India Bank asking them to withdraw the anti-women guidelines.