To

Chief Regional Manager 21-7-2020

Regional-Ofce
Maker Tower 'E', V oor
Cuffe Parade
Mumbai
Pin: 400005
Maharashtra

Dear Sir

Subject: Appraisal of the present covid19 situation in Maharashtra and

requesting sanction of special leave without loss of pay due to covid 19
lockdown ,

The corona tiger has knocked the door of Maharashtrians particularly the
mumbaikers and is in prowl in this July month. Naturally we are concerned
about the health of our staff members in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra
under peak threat of Corona virus. Media Reports conrm as on July 19th 2020,
India has crossed the 1 million mark when it comes to Covid19 cases. The only
two countries ahead of India are the US and Brazil. India's jump in coronavirus
cases has progressed rapidly taking just six days to go from 8 lakh to 1 million.
25000 people have lost their lives to Covid19 in the country. Meanwhile,
Maharashtra is inching closer to the three lakh mark when it comes to COVID-
19 cases. With 8,641 fresh cases, the state reported the highest single-day spike
on Thursday July 17. Nearly 1,500 of these cases come from Mumbai alone.
The city has 23,694 active cases currently. As per available record compiled a
bank employees forum around 60 bank employees have become covid 19
martyrs which includes a very affectionate and unassuming IOBIAN friend
Sankararaman Ramesh - RCC Madurai, CO Tanjore and presently at CO passed
away due to COVID19 after struggling in Apollo Chennai for ten days. We
pray for all these noble soul to Rest in Peace and strength for his family.
While all of us understand the gravity of the problems and challenges posed by
the present corona pandemic, while all of us also understand why the
restrictions of lockdown, etc. are being imposed, the issue as far as bank
employees especially employees in Mumbai branches are concerned is the
difculties faced by employees in attending the ofce and ensuring our safety.
We as Bank employees are not afraid of challenges of working in the Banks as
we have seen during the days of demonetization. Bank employees did extra-
ordinary job in serving the customers against all odds. It is another matter that
the Government IBA did not bother about the bank employees after that or
even the managements cared to remunerate the employees by paying their

1
legitimate overtime wages in many Banks. It is a separate issue that we will deal
with.
Even in the present circumstances of health-risk and lack of transport facilities,
our members are did their best to attend ofce and extend the best possible
service to the customers. It is another matter that adequate recognition is not
there from the Government for the commendable job that bank employees are
doing now.
From our Union point of view, we have been taking all possible efforts and
have been taken to take up issues of the employees with your ofce to extend
facilities to the employees, norms for exemption from attending duty, provision
of incentives, safety gears, etc.
But we have appealed to our members who are working in the branches in the
present situation to fully protect themselves with masks, gloves, etc., ensure
sanitisation of workplace, etc. and to ensure that within the bank premises,
customers are regulated to follow social distancing norms, etc.
You will agree extending service to people is important. But protecting
ourselves from the health risk is equally important.
We are thankful to the bank for the various pro-active measures being taken in
this regard. Our central ofce Ofces have also been issuing various guidelines
to their RO‟s/ branches to handle the present situation. The SLBCs have also
taken certain steps to restrict banking services including business hours. There
are positive instructions like asking only the minimum staff to come to the
Branches, working from home, providing them sanitation kit, etc., closure of
branches wherever local authorities give instructions, etc. These are very helpful
indeed.
But still our Bank staffs are working under a lot of fear since the number of
customers coming to the branches has not reduced in many places. To add to the
problems, all the customers are coming into the premises at the same time.
Employees nd it very difcult to control the customers as anxious customers
are getting irritated with these restrictions. Customers are also reluctant to go to
the ATMs as many of the ATMs are not being regularly disinfected. Hence they
prefer to come to the Branch. This problem will be more acute when salary
credits and withdrawals will increase in the rst week. It is important to advice
all Banks to ensure that all the ATMs are adequately and repeatedly sanitized.
Because of pro staff C.O guidelines of locking down non-essential services
there are also increasing instances of customer harassments on staff, rude and
abusive behaviour of customers against staff. But, now and then, we hear from
our units about instances of unwarranted harassments by customers, rude and
abusive behaviour by some customers against the staff, even assaults on staff,
etc. Even though staff are working in the Branches amidst various constraints
like shortage of staff, inadequate infrastructure, etc., invariably, managements
always try to blame the staff on the wrong plea that customer is always right.
Sometimes investigations are one-sided in favour of the customers and staff are

2
let down. Such things have a very frustrating and demoralizing effect on the
staff. While extending best possible customer services is the endeavour of all
the staff members, the scales of justice are not being held even in many
occasions when a customer misbehaves with the staff.
Hence some instructions should be given for allowing customers one by one
into the premises and the help of local police is necessary in this regard. As
already requested, there has to be some restriction and ceiling on cash
transactions. A few bank management after the Canara Bank in Saroli Branch,
Surat in Gujarat have issued a timely Circular which we appreciate. We expect
our managements also to come with such assuring guidance and advisories.
You will appreciate that in view of the Annual closing ,notwithstanding heavy
rush of customers, etc. in the ensuing days, all Branches were e kept open and
staffs s “somehow” attended the ofce annul closing by collective commitment
resulting in our bank posting a prot after six years of continuous losses .
We have taking up through your ofce to recommend to CO in view of the
heavy rush that is expected from due to salary credits, pension credits,
implementation of Govt. announced benets, etc., adequate staff should be
provided in smaller branches besides proper security arrangements to regulate
the customers to come inside the branch premises to ensure adherence to social
distancing norms. In such cases, management should consider making necessary
arrangements wherever possible so that employees will be able to attend the
branches and render service.
Only fresh staff recruitment is the only panacea. Otherwise there may be
pandemonium in many branches besides health risk. But with heavy heart we
have to inform you Based on the Indent placed by the various Banks, the IBPS
has declared the results of the examination few days ago and allotted the
candidates to various Banks. Total of 18,594 clerical staff were indented and
now allotted to the Banks for being recruited during the current year 2020-21.
While Punjab & Sind Bank Share of Recruitments is 352 and Bank of
Maharashtra is 300(both under PCA framework at that time) IOB share in the
list is zero (0).
We have been somehow or other due mutual respect and rapport managing the
show requesting virtually exhorting employees to report and work at nearby
Branches which will be helpful to the employees as well as to the Banks in
getting additional manpower in the Branches to cope up with the expected
additional rush through frequent deputations which our members have accepted
without any demur.

Ever since the breakout of the corona virus and the various measures taken by
the Government to contain the same, we have been taking up the issues of
problems and difculties faced by bank employees in attending ofce and
discharging their duties. Some uniform guidelines have been given by the IBA

3
and some instructions have been given by the Department of Financial Services,
Govt. of India in this regard.
One of the issues was the difculties faced by employees to attend the ofce
due to absence of public transport services. Especially employees who are
having physical disabilities, women employees who are pregnant and
employees who had undergone surgeries recently and otherwise are susceptible
to infection have been nding it extremely difcult to attend ofce. Hence we
have been requesting the Banks to exempt these employees from attending
ofce and who may be asked to work from home.
Ref: No.40-3/2020-DM-I (A) Government of India Ministry of Home Affairs
Consolidated Guidelines on the measures to be taken by Ministries/
Departments of Government of India, State/Union Territory Governments and
State/ Union Territory Authorities for containment of COVID-19 Epidemic in
the Country, as notied by Ministry of Home Affairs Order No. 40-3/2020-DM-
I(A) dated 24.03.2020 and further modied on 25.03.2020, 27.03.2020,
02.04.2020, 03.04.2020 and 10.04.2020.

On March 24Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day

nationwide lockdown to ght the coronavirus outbreak. Soon after the
announcement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) shared a list of guidelines
on the measures to be taken by authorities for the containment of COVID-19
under reference No.40-3/2020-DM-I (A) Government of India Ministry of
Home Affairs
Consolidated Guidelines on the measures to be taken by Ministries/
Departments of Government of India, State/Union Territory Governments and
State/ Union Territory Authorities for containment of COVID-19 Epidemic in
the Country, as notied by Ministry of Home Affairs Order No. 40-3/2020-DM-
I(A) dated 24.03.2020 and further modied on 25.03.2020, 27.03.2020,
02.04.2020, 03.04.2020 and 10.04.2020.

We draw your attention to the guidelines MHA under reference as under

I draw your attention to the following clauses of the aforesaid guidelines which
interalia states as under
6. All transport services — air, rail, roadways — will remain suspended
17. Any person violating these containment measures will be liable to be
proceeded against as per the provisions of Section 51 to 60 of the Disaster
Management Act, 2005, besides legal action under Sec. 188 of the IPC.
Note: As specied in the lockdown measures, social distancing and proper
hygiene practices must be ensured in each of the above activities. It will be the
responsibility of the head of the organisation/establishment to ensure
compliance of such norms. The district authorities will ensure strict
enforcement. **

4
The guidelines also included all ofces should work with a minimum number of
employees and all other ofces may continue to work-from-home only, the
MHA said in its guidelines.
Refusal to compl y by directions given by the Centre or the respective state
can invite punishment which includes jail term of up to 1 year or a ne or
both. If non-compliance leads to loss of life or danger shall invite
punishment of jail term of 2 years.

Even The revised covid 2.0 MHA guidelines did no relax the above guidelines
with respect to public transportation
As per industrial DISPUTES BETWEEN CERTAIN BANKING COMPANIES
AND THEIR WORKMEN 19th October, 1966 INDIAN BANKS'
ASSOCIATION under cl (viii) 13.41. There is a provision for
QUARANTINE LEAVE
“ In case an employee is absent from duty on account of quarantine, the bank
may, at the request of the employee, treat such absence up to a maximum of
three months as privilege or sick leave if such leave is otherwise permissible.”

In this context we bring to your notice under mentioned interesting fact.

During the period of intense plague outbreak from August 1917 to January
1918, the workers of the textile mills in Ahmedabad were given
'plague bonuses' (some of which were as much as 80 percent of the workers'
wage) in an attempt to dissuade the workers from eeing during an outbreak of
a plague.

See for more details https://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content/ahmedabad-

textile-laborers-win-strike-economic-justice-1918

In the meantime, the Dept. of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel,

vide their Communication No. 11013/9/2014-Estt.(A.III) dated 1- 4-2020 had
advised the Dept. of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance to exempt bank
employees with disabilities from duties while drawing up roster of employees
required to attend essential services and treat their leave period on leave
without loss of pay.
We thank our bank for issuing circular 79f) 167/2029/20 dated 21-3-2020givng
exhaustive instructions to branches /RO‟s ‟s in consonance with the aforesaid
Govt. guidelines which is self-explicit .See
https://drive.google.com/le/d/1AC-
rBS8YTTTDvKZYNk9Uxv_L74iN9Dmi/view?usp=sharing
Close on heels of these instructions of DFS We understand that the IBA „s
standing committee on HR placed before the management committee on 15-5 -
2020 who approved special leave without loss of pay on considerate ,
sympathetic and humanitarian grounds to ALL those employees who cannot

5
attend to work on count of covid 19 strict restrictions and had advised member
banks accordingly .
We thank the Government/IBA and our Bank for this Guideline which is of
immense relief to the bank employees who are not in a position to attend work
on genuine grounds on account of strict covid19 lock down restrictions.
We now give below the present situation of covid 19 pandemic in Mumbai as
under .
During lockdown 1.0. 2.0. 3.0 members could not attend ofce due to non-
availability of public and private transport .
The position during unlock down 1.0, 2.0 the position remain the same. Though
local trains have started plying restricting permission only govt. and quasi
govt. employees, some staff members are unable to attend ofce because of
peaking of corona geometric progressions in corona during July as explained
before ad in view of red zone containment restrictions .
. Maharashtra continues to be the epicentre of the coronavirus spread . Citing an
increase in Covid-19 cases, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)
has sealed some more areas in Mumbai and marked them as containment zones
or red zones June 09, 2020.see the link
https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/maharashtra-unlock-1-mumbai-
containment-zones-full-list-coronavirus-hotspots-red-zones-navi-mumbai-
624719
Updated List of Containment Zones in Navi Mumbai As Of June 29 as advised
by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation is given in the link .
https://www.mumbailive.com/en/health/navi-mumbai-coronavirus-containment-
zone-list-52012
Needless to underscore here the updated list as on today ,(as the date of this
letter July 20,2020 ) would have denitely increased manifold in correlation
with the increased covid19 curve today -a fact which can be cross checked at
your end if need be . For e.g. in sector 10 of Nerul Navi Mumbai where our
Vice President Com Suarj Mansa , renown for committed and dedicated
services , in his condominium alone the number of active ( other than co
morbid )and asymptotic corona cases has increased from 3 to 34 (300% rise )
from the date of municipal corporation notication as mentioned above .
Under the mitigating circumstances backed with coherent reasons mentioned
above we request you to consider the following justiable rational requests of
ours on considerate , sympathetic and humanitarian grounds as a reciprocal
gesture of the cooperation we have extended till date in maintaining
uninterrupted customer service even during corona lock down adversities .
To treat the absence of duty of those employees in periphery of Red Zones
identied by the respective municipal corporations as special without loss of
pay as per extant Govt/IBA instructions quote supra.
To make suitable modications in the leave record module maintained at
regional ofce enabling provision for special covid 19 leave without loss

6
of pay which otherwise hitherto has been deducting employees earned leave
PL or SL as the case may be .
We shall be thankful if pregnant women employees and employees who had in
recent month are undergone major surgeries and others who are susceptible for
infection are also treated similarly.
We shall inform employees coming under the above category otherwise
eligible for special leave to submit suitable applications as above for RO„s
sanction through approved channel.
We note to instruct such members to inform the branch well in advance in this
regard so that the branch may make substitute arrangement if need be and we
assure you of our unstinted cooperation in this regard as usual.
Awaiting your favourable response.

Yours faithfully

General Secretary President Working President

Arun Kotker Bharath Jadhav Dilip Bhosale