Open only one branch of each bank in 3km radius due to Covid-19 scare: All India Bank Officers Confederation

Mar 28, 2020, 06.03 PM IST

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu unit of the All India Bank Officers Confederation has requested the state level bankers’ committee to open one branch of each bank in clusters of 3km radius instead of all branches in urban/semi urban/metro since ATMs are functioning uninterruptedly.

The state unit has submitted a representation to regulate bank branches in the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic.

“Fear has gripped the personnel at the branches/offices, wrecking the very psyche. Despite lockdown and restrictions imposed by the government and advisory by the Indian Banks’ Association, people are thronging the branches, cash handling continues to be unabated, exposing staff and officers and perhaps making them as (virus) carriers also,” AIBOC-TN state secretary R Sekaran said. In several branches, personnel had expressed unwillingness to attend office.

The state government’s restrictions reduced the footfalls in the branches, but it raised a doubt about the necessity of existing large branch network for the next few weeks till the normalcy restored, Sekaran said.

The confederation sought permission to operate a branch of each bank in clusters to work till 2pm and to close after loading cash in ATMs.

Rural centres should work for three days in a week or on alternate days extending basic banking services as per IBA directions. Single officer branches should be brought under the cluster. Transactions of small and single officer branches should be temporarily shifted, and transactions allowed only in nearby big centres, Sekaran said.

Among other demands, administrative offices should function till 2pm with 25% to 40% staff in a staggered way and rest of the workforce to work from home. Officers/employees above 55 years of age who suffer from diabetic, heart/kidney ailments and undergoing treatment for critical illness should work on alternate days or to be permitted to work from home during lockdown.

Disabled staff should be allowed to work from home, while pregnant women and woman staff having children up to five years to be permitted to work from home.

Since all mode of transport had been withdrawn, officers/employees should be permitted to work from branch/office nearer to their residence, Sekaran said.