THE AIDWA has strongly criticised the recent circular of the State Bank of India regarding the appointment of pregnant women in the bank. The instructions issued by the bank regarding the appointment of pregnant women - as to women who are pregnant three months and above, will not be appointed. They will be appointed only after three months of delivery. 

According to a press statement issued by AIDWA on January 27, 2022, the SBI had issued instructions (Letter number CDO/IR/SPL/289 dated September 16, 2009) to its local head offices across the country in 2009 to the effect that pregnancy should no longer be treated as a disability for immediate appointment or promotion. The directive had probably come as a result of a public outcry from women’s organisations in Kerala, a strongly worded letter to the prime minister from the then chief minister, V S Achuthanandan and efforts by the State Bank Staff Union (SBSU).

Mariam Dhawale and Malini Bhattacharya, general secretary and president of the organisation respectively, in the statement said: “The SBI used to insist on women candidates and serving women undergoing medical examination at the time of recruitment/ promotion to determine whether they were pregnant and submitting a declaration giving details of their menstrual cycle so as to defer posting/promotion during pregnancy. Women candidates were also required to declare their menstrual history and give an undertaking on any evidence of pregnancy and history of disease of the uterus, cervix, ovaries or breasts. The bank decided in 2009 to do without such a declaration of personal details and to give posting to a woman up to the sixth month of pregnancy provided she furnishes a certificate from a specialist gynaecologist stating that her taking up bank employment at that stage is in no way likely to interfere with her pregnancy or the normal development of the foetus or cause miscarriage or otherwise adversely affect her health.”

The revised instruction is bringing back the humiliation to force, AIDWA stated.  The practice is discriminative against women. This amounts to a breach of constitutional provision guaranteeing equal opportunity to all, the women organisation vehemently stressed. It demanded a withdrawal of such instructions immediately.