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Bangladesh Bank not satisfied with the bankers’ response and will continue investigations
Some 3,313 employees of six private banks have resigned from January 1, 2020, to August 9 this year, according to Bangladesh Bank sources.
Of them, 3,070 resigned voluntarily, even though they had not reached their retirement age. Another 201 people were removed, 30 officers were sacked and 12 others were laid off.
Of these, 201 employees were from Eastern Bank, 1,098 from City Bank, 279 from Dutch Bangla Bank, 135 from Standard Bank, 1,211 from Brac Bank and 146 from Mutual Trust Bank.
Bangladesh Bank believes that the matter is unusual.
Meanwhile, a delegation of the Association of Bankers, Bangladesh (ABB), during a meeting with the central bank on Monday, claimed that they laid off some bankers in compliance with the rules. ABB is an organization of the managing directors of banks.
They said it as the Bangladesh Bank sought an explanation behind these resignations during the meeting. The central bank also said that it will continue the ongoing investigation as it is not satisfied with such a response.
A recent report by Bangladesh Bank officially raised the issue of job losses of bankers during the Covid-19 period.
It is also learned that the meeting held at Bangladesh Bank discussed the issue of forcible dismissal of bank employees from the banks. Bangladesh Bank said it was inhumane to sack bankers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Many workers could not find jobs elsewhere due to their high salaries. The issue also created instability in the banking sector.
According to ABB, some bankers have voluntarily resigned following the rules. Their performance was not good. They also quit their jobs as the banks’ internal valuation report was not satisfactory.
ABB reiterated the same statement in an official statement on Wednesday. It was further informed that those banks have separate commission-based sales forces and the number of resigning employees in those banks is more than normal banks.
Asked about ABB’s response, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director and spokesman Md Serajul Islam told Dhaka Tribune that during the Covid-19 period, many bankers complained to Bangladesh Bank about getting sacked.
The central bank started an investigation based on those complaints.
A recent survey found some evidence of this. “That is why we discussed this with the ABB representatives at the meeting,” Serajul Islam said.
“Although they (ABB) have given us some explanations and evidence on their behalf, Bangladesh Bank wants to look into the issue of such a large number of bankers resigning. Therefore, the central bank wants to continue the investigation for the time being,” he added.
Furthermore, a banker, seeking anonymity, told Dhaka Tribune: “I used to work in a private bank. But after getting a good offer from another bank in the middle of last year, I informed the previous bank two months before and started the process of voluntarily leaving.”
“But on the day of joining, I was informed by the new bank that they suspended the recruitment process at the moment,” the banker added.
“The new bank told me to wait. By that time, I was no longer with the previous bank. All in all, I had to go through a long time of hardship. But the new bank still did not call me,” the banker further said.
Earlier, the central bank heard allegations that banks began layoff In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a special inspection in six banks to verify the allegation.
(DT)
