UFBU appeals to IBA Chairman to issue appropriate instructions on restriction of Banking services

Hyderabad, Apr 21 (FN Representative) In the light of grim situation across the country due to surge in COVID-19 cases, United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU) on Wednesday made a fervent appeal, on behalf of the entire banking fraternity to Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) Chairman, to use his good offices for issuing appropriate instructions immediately with regard to Restriction of Banking services only to basic, essential banking till improvement of the situation. In a letter to IBA Chairman Raj Kiran Rai G, UFBU Convenor Sanjeev K Bandlish also sought for introduction Cluster/hub banking, identifying few branches of each bank in each locality. The UFBU letter released to UNI by AIBEA General Secretary Ch Venkatachalam said, this will enable working on rotation by the bank employees.

Mr Bandlish also appealed to Mr Rai about realignment of Banking hours/days to 3-4 hours a day and from Monday to Friday and added that we are sure that the above measures will reduce the exposure faced by employees and break the chain of infections to a great extent. ”We are continuously getting information from the grass root level about the non-availability of beds/infrastructure in hospital, dearth of life saving drugs, oxygen which has triggered panic across the nation. The tragic news of our own people dying without getting access to any medical facility has also aggravated the frustration and resentment. We strongly feel that any further delay in implementing the above measures as suggested to reduce exposure will be catastrophic and put millions of families of bank staff and the customers into severe risk of contamination and trigger a massive and uncontrollable outbreak of the contagion,” he added. Therefore, we solicit an immediate and a proactive action in this matter from your good office, the UFBU Convenor said.

We recall that as a response to the extenuating circumstances and the dangerous situation arising due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent announcement of national lockdown last year, your office had issued advisory to member Banks to chalk out a feasible business continuity program to carry out basic essential transactions. Your good office had also sent out a communique in this regard on March 22,2021. This had enabled the banks to take a slew of measures to reduce the risk of exposure of employees and stakeholders without any calamitous effects on service delivery. This effectively reduced the risk by breaking the chain. You are also aware that during the entire period post lockdown, nearly a thousand bank employees have laid down their lives in the line of duty having succumbed to the virus and nearly a lakh were infected. The present situation of the pandemic after one year has turned into a matter of grave concern. It is really fearful and shocking to note that the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with a high risk factor has already devastated the nation, which is nothing short of national crisis. The spike in number of cases and deaths are peaking every day to set new highs. At the cost of repetition, we wish to reiterate that Bank branches, with continued footfalls and across the counter connect with customers are potential hubs of infections.

We are deeply distressed to constantly receive news about infections, hospitalizations and deaths of bank employees round the clock every day. On our part, we have taken up the matter with the Department of Financial Services (DFS) vide our communique dated 15.04.2021, a copy of which had been endorsed to you, urging upon initiation of certain preventive and protective measure, which is yet to be responded, Mr Bandlish said in the letter.