Women’s panel issues notice to SBI over controversial pregnant women employment guidelines
The Delhi Commission for Women has issued a notice to State Bank of India for stopping women who are over three-month pregnant from joining work. State Bank of India, or SBI, has called these women “temporarily unfit”, the commission’s Chairperson Swati Maliwal tweeted. She said the bank’s action is discriminatory and illegal as it could affect maternity benefits provided under the law.
“State Bank of India seems to have issued guidelines preventing women who are over 3 months pregnant from joining service and 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,” Ms Maliwal said.
In the notice tweeted by Ms Maliwal, the Delhi Commission for Women, or DCW, said SBI in a circular on December 31 stopped women who are more than three-month pregnant from joining work, despite having been selected through due process.
“The circular states that she will be considered temporarily unfit and she may be allowed to join within four months after delivery of child,” the DCW said.