The State Bank of India (SBI) on Saturday temporarily withdrew the controversial circular calling pregnant women ‘unfit’ for recruitment after media reports highlighted criticisms against the notice's “discriminatory” nature. In an official release, the public sector bank clarified that “in view of public sentiments”, it is keeping its revised instructions regarding recruitment of pregnant women candidates “in abeyance”.
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“SBI has recently reviewed the various fitness standards for recruitment in the bank, including norms for pregnant women candidates,” read the release issued on Saturday. “The revised guidelines were intended to provide clarity on various health parameters where instructions were not clear or were very old. In some sections of the media, the revision in norms in this regard has been interpreted as discriminatory against women.”
SBI, the country's largest lender, said that it has “always been proactive towards the care and empowerment of its women employees”, who now constitute around 25 per cent of the total workforce.
“During the Covid-19 period, as per government instructions, pregnant women employees were exempted from attending office and allowed to work from home,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}“During the Covid-19 period, as per government instructions, pregnant women employees were exempted from attending office and allowed to work from home,” it said.
{{/usCountry}}The press release added, “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.”
Earlier, a barrage of criticisms had been pilloried against the public sector bank after it tweaked its recruitment rules wherein it said that women candidates with more than three months of pregnancy will be considered “temporarily unfit” to join. The internet exploded with outrage on what it called “discriminatory” rules on part of the SBI, as netizens – ranging from politicians to corporate professionals – and human rights bodies took to their respective social media handles to request the country's largest lender to revoke its revised guidelines.
The bank had said in its rules that woman candidates with more than three months of pregnancy will be considered “temporarily unfit” but can join service within four months after delivery.
The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had also issued a notice to the SBI earlier today, seeking withdrawal of the guideline. Swati Maliwal, the commission's chief, said that the rules are both “discriminatory” and “illegal” as they are contrary to the maternity benefits provided under ‘The Code of Social Security, 2020’.
The move had also elicited criticism from other quarters, including from the All India State Bank Of India Employees' Association.