Two unions in State Bank of India (SBI) have expressed resentment at controllers not sanctioning timely leave to branch officials infected with Coronavirus, leading to some succumbing to the deadly virus.

According to the Unions, this allegedly callous attitude of some of the controllers under the purview of local head offices (LHOs) comes despite the corporate centre clearly instructing them to follow the various advisories/standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by it relating to the preventive/precautionary measures to be adopted to ensure the safety and security of employees.

The SBI Officers’ Association has raised the issue of non-sanction of timely leave to a young Manager of a branch under the Visakhapatnam Regional Business Office (RBO), as he succumbed to Covid-19 last week.

The Association emphasised that had the authorities in RBO taken timely action by sanctioning leave, a precious life would have been saved. It has sought investigation into the matter so that the errant controlling officers are punished.

KS Krishna, General Secretary, All India SBI Employees’ Association, said the recent incident in the Amaravati Circle, where a Covid-infected young officer of SBI succumbed to death on September 11 allegedly due to callous attitude of the Controllers, has stirred up the collective conscienceof the workforce.

“Such inhuman attitude and approach on the part of the officials make them unfit to occupy positions of authority. Mere advice will not serve any purpose. Such Controllers and HR Officials are to be made accountable and answerable…,” Krishna said.

He felt that any violations and harassment, faced by any employee should be brought to the notice of the appropriate authorities, internal or external, for redressal at every level.

Krishna observed that there have been situations where at least a few officials in positions of authority (at the local level) of the Bank are behaving in ways unbecoming of responsible officials leading to spread of the disease and even to the death of the employees/officers. This cannot be allowed to continue, he added.

Among the initiatives taken by SBI for its employees in the wake of Covid-19 include Quick Response Team at Corporate Centre/Local Head Office/Administrative Offices; Protocol on workplace hygiene; SOP for functioning at Offices/ Branches; exempting employees with chronic illness/prone to infection from work; and considerate leave sanction for Covid symptomatic employees.

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