SBI Withdraws ‘Unfit’ Guidelines For Pregnant Women Employees After Controversy

The SBI said the revised guidelines were only intended "to provide clarity on health parameters where instructions were not clear or were very old."

New Delhi: The State Bank of India (SBI) on Saturday withdrew its guidelines for pregnant women employees after it created controversy. In a fresh notice, the SBI said the bank has always been proactive towards the “care and empowerment” of its women employees, who constitute around 25 per cent of its workforce.

“However, in view of the public sentiments, SBI has decided to keep the revised instructions regarding recruitment of pregnant women candidates in abeyance and continue with the existing instructions in the matter,” the bank said in a statement.

The bank added that the revised guidelines were only intended “to provide clarity on health parameters where instructions were not clear or were very old.”

However, in view of the public sentiments, SBI has decided to keep the revised instructions regarding recruitment of pregnant women candidates in abeyance and continue with the existing instructions in the matter, the State Bank of India added in the statement

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2022

“During the COVID period, as per government instructions, pregnant women employees were exempted from attending office and allowed to Work From Home,” the SBI said in a statement.

The bank said it recently reviewed various Fitness Standards for Recruitment in Bank, including norms for pregnant women candidates.

The move comes after Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to the SBI, seeking the withdrawal of the guidelines. DCW Chief Swati Maliwal said the guidelines are “discriminatory” and “illegal”.

Moreover, the DCW asked the SBI to explain the process behind how these guidelines were formed, and to give the names of officials who approved them.

State Bank of India seems to have issued guidelines preventing women who are over 3 months pregnant from joining service & have termed them as ‘temporarily unfit’. This is both discriminatory and illegal. We have issued a Notice to them seeking withdrawal of this anti women rule. pic.twitter.com/mUtpoCHCWq

— Swati Maliwal (@SwatiJaiHind) January 29, 2022

The DCW in the notice also sought withdrawal of the new rules wherein a woman who is over three months pregnant will be considered “temporarily unfit” and she may be allowed to join within four months after delivery.

“State Bank of India seems to have issued guidelines preventing women who are over 3 months pregnant from joining service & have termed them as ‘temporarily unfit’. This is both discriminatory and illegal. We have issued a Notice to them seeking withdrawal of this anti-women rule,” DCW Chief Swati Maliwal tweeted.

In the notice, the panel sought a copy of the new guidelines as well as a copy of the similar rules operational before this. It has also sought an action taken report in the matter.

In its latest medical fitness guidelines for new recruits or promotees, the bank said a candidate would be considered fit in case of pregnancy which is less than 3 months.

“However, if pregnancy is of more than three months, she will be considered temporarily unfit and she may be allowed to join within four months after delivery of child,” as per the medical fitness and ophthalmological standards for new recruits and promotees dated December 31, 2021.