The bank employees in India have yet again approached the Centre demanding free COVID-19 vaccine jabs on the lines of frontline workers. This time, the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA), in a letter to the central government, has said bank employees should be administered the two COVID-19 vaccine doses free of cost and without age restrictions.

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IBA chairman Sunil Mehta, in its letter, points out that the bank employees should not be deprived of free COVID-19 vaccine jabs as "they too face the risk of contracting the virus as their counterpart frontline workers".

Earlier in January this year, another bank union ‘All India Bank Employees Association’, in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, had stated that the bankers are braving all odds to carry out their duty and thus, should be considered for the ‘prioritised category’ along with other COVID-19 warriors during the inoculation drive.

A similar demand was put forward by four bank unions — All India Bank Officers’ Confederation, the All India Bank Officers’ Association, the Indian National Bank Officers’ Congress, and the National Organisation of Bank Officers — in December 2020. In a letter to the union finance minister, the bank unions had made the following demands —bankers should be provided with the COVID-19 vaccine on priority, bankers should be treated as COVID-19 warriors and included in the Rs 50 lakh health insurance cover, and a five-day working week.

Meanwhile, two public sector banks — State Bank of India (SBI) and Canara Bank — and United India General Insurance Company Ltd have announced that they will reimburse the cost of vaccination incurred by their employees who are above 45 years of age and suffering from co-morbidities.

Similarly, the HDFC Bank — which is India's largest private bank in terms of market capital — has announced that it will bear the vaccination cost of more than 1 lakh employees and their immediate family members.

(Edited by : Jomy)