COVID19: Who Will Save Bankers from Corona, Customers and Local Administration?

Moneylife Digital Team 13 April 2020

Economy & Nation

While the government announced a package of measures for the poor, it failed to visualise that this may bring customers to the bank and the social distancing could go for a toss, exposing the bankers to the risk of contracting coronavirus. This is exactly what has happened as revealed in a tweetstream of banker who calls himself Newton Bank Kumar (@idesibanda). He created a hashtag #BankerHaiPoliceNahin, which remained trending on Twitter for quite some time.

How many reminders do u need
sir @narendramodi ji?
Banks are becoming the epicenter of CORONA. pls re-think about economic soldiers and citizens.
Thanks to @ABPNews for this coverage.@nsitharaman @idesibanda @ndtv @WHO @IndiaToday @IndianExpress https://t.co/vcWEnQPgHk pic.twitter.com/MrWfYwooPF
— Anil Kumar Meena (@Anilmeena89) April 13, 2020

Banking is the backbone of economy and so during the corona virus (COVID19) pandemic, it was considered as essential service. Bankers were asked to keep branches functioning with skeleton staff. However, due to lack of protective gears and mostly any security, these bankers are finding it very difficult to handle the situation, and are constantly working under fear of catching corona or facing anger from customers.

Several unions and associations of bank employees and officers have been raising voices about the risky environment under which they are forced to function. However, till date there is no respite from the government while number of customers visiting bank branches continue to increase.

There have been some incidents where customers tried to attack bankers as well. Main issue all bank staff is facing is overcrowding in branches and lack of social distancing. However, instead of helping bankers do their jobs at some places like Barabanki, and Meerut.

Bankers duty is giving financial assistance, not managing people outside the bank. We are not TRAINED for it, neither we authorize for the same.
œ• • ‰€ •‹ ‡
” •‡ ‹ ‚ œ‡#BankerHaiPoliceNahin pic.twitter.com/dL9XqbRrL5
— praval bhargav (@PravalBhargav) April 12, 2020

In fact, in Gurdaspur in Punjab, one deputy commissioner of police detained a bank manager for failing to enforce social distancing norms. As per report from The Tribune, after seating in the police station for half an hour, the manager was asked why he let the customers break social distancing norms.

#BankerHaiPoliceNahin

Does Disaster Management Act shifts responsibility of maintaining law and order from police to Bankers ??
Or This gives a route for police to escape from their responsibilities?? @PIB_India @DFS_India @bankers_we @WeBankerss @Webankersindia @idesibanda pic.twitter.com/4HfgpkJP7G
— Blank (@SaketAnup) April 12, 2020

•‹ (‹€ • Ÿ ˜ ˜Ÿ •) – ˆ • †‡ Ÿ˜ @DFS_India @nsitharaman
œˆ‡ • # ‹ •€ #€ #coronaproof €‚ ˆ €• ˆ‡ € ˆ‚• ‡ € #coronaproop €‚ ˆ, ‚š •‡ € ‡•Ÿ ‹ ‚š ˆ‡œ •€ œ‡€ €‚ ˆ •‹‚• #BankerHaiPoliceNahin pic.twitter.com/N2Gqo2tJfQ
— G.r. Lodha œ€_† ‹ Ÿ‡Ÿ‡ (@GAgrarian) April 12, 2020

œ • ‰ €‚ •€, •‹‚• •‹ €‚ ‹ Ÿ‡‚— € ˆ, ” €‚ ‹ ‹ ‡ ˆ ‹
ˆ‚• •‹ € ” ˆ‚• – ‚‡ •€ Ÿ‡‚— ” ‹ ‡ ˆ‚, € ‚‡ •€ €‚#BankerHaiPoliceNahin
— Ambika Phogat (@Ambika55343047) April 12, 2020

Some Proactive District authorities & police provided help & patrolling outside Bank Branches, but some have started blame game on Bankers to manage crowd outside banks.

They started issuing notices, misbehaving with Bankers, abusing & even manhandling them in branches. pic.twitter.com/pFRbYUcQCg
— Newton Bank Kumar (@idesibanda) April 12, 2020

In March, Indian National Bank Employees' Federation (INBEF) has raised this issue. Subhash S Sawant, general secretary of INBEF, in a letter to Sanjeev Bandlish, convenor of United Forum of Bank Union (UFBU) had said, "Customers irrespective of their age and gender do attend the branches.

We do not know their health status. They do use our banking services including toilets, sofas, chairs, and drinking water, whereby we are exposed to the maximum risk of contact. Branches have not even provided with required sanitisation kits and equipment. Under such circumstances it has become very difficult and vulnerable to work at the branches."

Last week AIBEA sent a letter to Debashish Panda, secretary in the department of financial services on special leaves and providing special insurance to bank staffs. In the letter CH Venkatachalam, general Secretary, AIBEA, says, if bankers are quarantined for 14 days or hospitalised for treatment of COVID19, then this should be treated as special leave.

"As a welfare gesture the finance minister has announced that all medial, para-medical and other frontline workers and connected staff who are on duty during this period will get an insurance cover of Rs50 lakh for three months.

Since bank staff are also facing the same kind of problem and risk possibilities, banks may be advised to go in for a similar comprehensive group insurance cover against risk to health and life during the next three months," the bank employee union demanded.

According to Mr Sawant from INBEF, the main reason for overcrowding in banks is relief deposited by government in bank accounts, especially for poor, who have no other source of income during the lockdown. He says, “We had cautioned the government that instead of depositing Rs500 per month in Jan Dhan accounts of women for three months it would have been better to depositing Rs1,500 in one go so that these account holders will not rush every month to withdraw the said amount. Similarly, other direct benefit transfers to farmers, labourers and weaker section have further added to the woes of the bank employees. There is heavy rush in the bank branches across the country, which have violated the norms of social distancing. Incidents of mob violence and man handling of the bank officials have been reported across the country.”

œ‹ • ‹ •ˆ‡ ‡ #LockDown •‡ •€ ŒŸ‚•€ – €,

• ‰‡ ˆ‚•‹ •‡ , ‚€ •‡‚ ” –š –šš € €‚ –€!

—— € —€ ‡•‹‚ •€ € ˆ € œ ” •‡‚ •‡‚, • •‡ • ˆ‚• ‡ ‹œ ‹‡ œ € ˆ#coronavirusinindia @Nupursays pic.twitter.com/e9X41XEYPb
— Newton Bank Kumar (@idesibanda) April 10, 2020

#BankerHaiPoliceNahin

ˆ‚• ˆ, ˆ‚•‚— ‡‚ ‡ •‡,
• ‡ ‚ €‚ •‡ ˆ

‡ ˆ‚• •‹ œ, œ , ‡, #SocialDistancing ‡ –‡ •‡

‡ •€ ‡ ‡‚ ˆ https://t.co/3VDWlBzERx
— Newton Bank Kumar (@idesibanda) April 12, 2020

Basically, central, zonal or regional offices of the bank manage security at branches. When there is no security provided by the bank, the local police station is mandated to regularly visit the branch and mark it in a police diary kept in the branch.

“Instead of providing security to bank officials police authorities are seeking explanations and issuing notices to bankers, which is really unfortunate. It is learnt that the ministry of home has issued advisory to all states to provide protection to doctors, medical and para medical staff. We therefore urge the finance minister, to issue similar advisory for bank staff as well,” Mr Sawant says in a letter sent to finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Comments

User

ritambharahembrom

6 years ago

Thank God someone noticed their problems. We are thanking everyone but no-one paid attention to their condition that they too have been working hard for the nation and maintaining economy for the start of this lockdown. They are also warriors.

cvkakatkar

6 years ago

During Demonetization - the Bankers had the support of the public in general.
As usual, the politicians and IBA did not care for the Bank Staff and RBI played the joker.
Now again, the Bankers are serving at the branches and no body even their managements are not bothered.
Finally, the staff from Branches face the music and frustration.

doctordhanbpathi

6 years ago

https://www.moneylife.in/article/covid19-who-will-save-bankers-from-corona-customers-and-local-administration/60018.html

1. It is not clear as to what IBA+ UFBU are doing?
2. Why PMO/UFM is silent on Bankersâ€™ at the micro-level, safety against coronavirus.
3. What is the role of LEAD Bankers/SBI doing?
4. How about apex level management in PSBs & RBI?
5. ARE THEY WHITE ELEPHANTS WITH NO CONCERN FOR BANKERSâ€™ SAFETY?
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Si8U02s8cQ.
7. SATYAMAEVA JAYATHE!!!

Ramesh Popat

6 years ago

superb! thanks!

Meenal Mamdani

6 years ago

This is another example of the chaos created as result of by Mr. Modi's sudden announcement of lockdown without adequate consultation with the various sectors that would be affected.
He is no doubt pleased by all the attention and praise he got from world leaders and his political supporters.
I hope that all the havoc that his thoughtless action has created gets the same coverage all over the world.

doctordhanbpathi

Replied to Meenal Mamdani comment 6 years ago

Any state head with brains acts like Modiji to protect the citizenry. Already 200+ countries are victimized. Death chaos is the worst form than any other chaos.

rajoluramam

6 years ago

Today I visited a bank branch. The staff are not supplied even the sanitizers and masks. Now a days, bank employees have become cheap before the managements. This is more so of the private bank employees.

chandu.vicky23

Replied to rajoluramam comment 6 years ago

Abe tu pagal hai aaj sirf pagalpanti dikha raha hai....Hospital me jata hai to dawa doctor free me deta hai ya charge karta hai..Bevkuf kahi ka