SHOAIB SHAIKH | NT Staff Reporter
PANAJI: The demonetisation of high-value currency notes has led to strenuous times for the bank employees and a number of them are facing serious health problems, including blood pressure, mainly due to stress.
However, fortunately no fatality has been reported in the state.
Taking cognisance of the problems faced by the employees, Goa Bank Employees Association has advised them to take precautions to avoid any untoward incident.
There are around 2500 bank employees in Goa, who work at the level of officer or clerical staff.
GBEA general secretary Antonio Maximiano Pereira said the employees across the state regardless the size and human resource strength of a bank have been going through a stressful time, as the demonetisation has led to long queues outside every bank branch.
“I am receiving calls daily from bank staff informing me about one or two staffers collapsing in the bank premises. In some cases, employees took ill after office hours and not reported for work. We are worried for the health of the staff as it is getting affected,” he said.
Although no data is available with the GBEA, some 35 employees of a nationalised bank working in different branches in the state have collapsed in the office premises while on duty. Around 20 of them, who had reported ill, have not reported back to work due to serious health problems. Stating that the level of work pressure has not lessened even after three weeks of the demonetisation, he said that a case was brought to his notice where a staffer of a nationalised bank met with an accident while on way back home with low blood pressure levels after harrowing time at the workplace.
A woman bank staffer who was eight-month pregnant was relieved only after the intervention of the GBEA.
Sources said the woman employee was working continuously and complained of fatigue.
Bank staffers said that they are forced to work for long hours, sometimes without even a break for attending to the necessary human needs.
“Some have to even skip lunch break, which is adding to the health problems,” an staffer said.
“Every note that is in the safe of the counter needs to tally, and therefore you are continuously under pressure over mismatch. A number of employees have even lost their own money due to the mismatch in tally,” another employee stated.
While the employees have been put to test their accuracy while dealing with people for the exchange and deposit of the demonetised notes, the general public frustrated by the shortage of lower denomination currency notes has been abusive towards the employees.
“The male employees still manage to either take it down the bitter way or respond to the customer, but the female employees are being given a hard time… I know of female staff who have either broken down in tears or collapsed after facing abusive language from the customers,” Pereira said.
He further said the shortage of currency notes has added to the woes of the employees.
“We had received communication from the Reserve Bank of India regarding extension of working hours of the banks for the first week after the demonetisation began. We still continue, and have not been able to cope up… you cannot stop the work when the customers are at the counters,” he added.
While the bank employees are already facing health issues due to the cash crunch and long working hours, the state government in its drive to go cashless by the end of December has asked the banks to conduct awareness camps and training sessions.
“Banks are already running short of staff and these training sessions will put additional pressure on the employees as some of the existing staff will now be requisitioned for that work,” Pereira said.