Hyderabad, Apr 4 (Representative) All India Bank Employees’ Association (AIBEA) on Thursday urged Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar to draft only the ‘minimum’ number of employees and officers from Banks for the ensuing election work.In a letter to Kumar, a copy of which was emailed to UNI, and marked to Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, New Delhi and Chief Executive, India Banks’ Association (IBA), Mumbai, AIBEA General Secretary Ch Venkatachalam said, as in the past occasions, this time also, at the requirement of the State Election Commission, bank employees and officers are being drafted for election work for manning the booths and other related duties. While it is the duty of every possible citizen to undertake these responsibilities, we observe that the number of bank employees and officers who are drafted for such election work is on the increase. ‘You would be aware that in many bank branches already there is acute shortage of staff and employees are unable to complete their daily route work within their office timings. Further, the next two months being summer vacation for the school going children, some bank employees are granted leave to avail Leave Fare Concession facility. This would further deplete the staff in the branches’, Venkatachalam said.
The AIBEA General Secretary said the CEC communication of June 7, 2023 stated Care should be taken to ensure that wherever employees of any Government departments/ Institutions/ PSUs/ authorities are requisitioned, only minimum number required are drafted for election duty, so that the regular activities of these institutions are not hampered. The Commission also said Employees of Bank and LIC will be drafted on regular election duty to the minimum extent possible and only in constituencies where there is inadequate number of manpower or in emergent circumstances such as strike. However, they can be requisitioned to perform duty of micro Observers. Despite the above clear guidelines from the Election Commission, Venkatachalam said, we are informed that large number of employees and officers of Banks are being drafted for election duty and preceded by training programme, etc. Obviously this would affect the routine functioning of the branches and hamper normal customer services. ‘We are informed that even Cashiers of Banks are being drafted for the election work and it would be impossible for them to leave the branch for duties/training connected with the elections’. Hence ‘we seek your intervention in the matter to send instructions to the State/ District Election Commission officers to draft only the minimum number of staff from the Banks’, the top union leader added.