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It’s been more than a year since the now infamous #MeToo movement rocked various fields of employment globally. India Inc, too, has not been immune to it.
A look at the disclosures by various banks in their annual reports in relation to the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, shows that the number of complaints was more in private sector banks, compared to their public sector counterparts.
As many as 18 public sector banks disclosed that they received 91 complaints, including a few pending complaints from the previous fiscal, during 2018-19.
Of these, 68 complaints were disposed during the fiscal, and 23 were pending as on March 31, 2019. (The annual reports of the erstwhile Vijaya Bank and Dena Bank are not available. They were merged with Bank of Baroda with effect from April 1). Public sector banks such as Bank of Maharashtra, Bank of India, and Corporation Bank reported ‘nil’ complaints under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 during the fiscal.
All the banks said that they have a policy against sexual harassment and a formal process for dealing with complaints of harassment or discrimination.
Andhra Bank’s annual report said that it has appointed an internal compliance committee at the head office headed by a lady officer in the rank of a General Manager.
In the case of 14 private sector banks, where the annual reports are available, the number of complaints stood at 205 during 2018-19. Of them, 193 complaints were disposed during the year. The annual reports of the remaining private sector banks are yet to be published. Karnataka Bank and South Indian Bank said the number of complaints filed during the fiscal was ‘nil’.
Karur Vysya Bank’s annual report said that the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) reviewed one complaint during 2017-18 and found the same to be malicious, malafide and false.
Further, ICC closed the complaint and recommended appropriate disciplinary action against the complainant for knowingly making a false complaint, it said.
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