About 4500 employees have been retrenched from six banks based on Islamic Sharia in the last one year. These include Islami Bank, Social Islami Bank, First Security Islami Bank, Al-Arafah Islami Bank, Union Bank and Global Bank. After the fall of the Awami League government, the board of directors of these banks has been changed. The officers and employees were retrenched en masse in these banks after this. These officials are in dire trouble and uncertainty.
They say that despite having all kinds of qualifications and experience, they were laid off without any reason or even disregarding banking norms. Meanwhile, it is said that there is still fear of retrenchment among the responsible officers and employees.
According to the information received, around 1,500 officials were retrenched from Islami Bank soon after the change in the board of directors. Similarly, 1,038 people were retrenched from Social Islami Bank, about 800 from First Security Islami Bank, 547 from Al-Arafah Islami Bank, 400 from Union Bank and 7 high officials from Global Islami Bank, most of whom were working in different branches of Chattogram. Even many officials at the head office have been retrenched outside Chattogram.
As a result of mass retrenchment, the affected officers and employees are living inhumane lives. They say the retrenchment process was completely unfair and irregular. Employees are dismissed without any prior notice or notice to show cause. Many workers arrive at the office in the morning to find that their computer passwords are not working. The authorities did not give any explanation as to who was fired, for what reason or on what charges; Which is against banking regulations. When asked about the reason for the retrenchment, the bank authorities only said that it was a 'higher authority order'. The bank did not clarify who those authorities are.
A sacked First Security Islami Bank official told the nKhaborer Kagoj on condition of anonymity that around 750 employees were laid off from First Security Islami Bank without any prior announcement or notice. Most of the retrenched workers were from Chittagong. Stating that the workers were severely affected by this sudden retrenchment, he said, "It is completely inhumane" and against service rules. He said he got a job as a senior officer in 2016 after completing BBA and MBA with proof of eligibility, but was fired without any reason. He is currently unemployed and finds it difficult to run the family.
When asked whether there were any additional staff in the bank, he said that there was no additional staff in the bank. If there were, then the bank would not have re-hired staff.
Apart from retrenchment, the bank authorities have secretly appointed new staff. Most of these new appointments have been made from outside Chattogram. The most surprising thing is that where the bank is talking about financial crisis, new employees are being appointed with two-three steps higher promotion and increased salary. For example, someone who was a principal officer in another bank is brought here as Senior Vice President SVP (SVP) or Executive Vice President EVP (EVP) with a higher salary.
Meanwhile, mass retrenchments were made in Islami Bank after the new board of directors was appointed. In all, around 1,500 employees have been laid off from the bank.
"The biggest problem is that we are not only being retrenched on a mass scale, but no release orders or experience certificates are being issued to the sacked employees from the bank. As a result we are not able to apply for jobs elsewhere. If I am not given a release order from here now, then if I apply to another bank or somewhere, they will consider me a thief, but I did not steal," said a dismissed official on condition of anonymity.
He also said that there may be a big conspiracy behind this incident. An 'invisible force' is controlling this whole thing.He expressed apprehension that this could be a planned move to destabilize the banking sector and drive Chattogram officials out of the banking profession.
547 officials of various branches and sub-branches of Al-Arafah Islami Bank were fired through separate e-mails last July. They did not get their jobs back even after protesting for a long time.
"The bank authorities have claimed by notification in the newspaper that there is inconsistency in the recruitment process in the bank since 2021. No bank discloses its own internal errors. But this bank is revealing its own faults in public", a victim official told the Khaborer kagoj without revealing his name.
'If you terminate me as an illegal recruit, then you have to terminate the entire authority. Because you were also involved with my appointment at that time and Bangladesh Bank was also involved," said another victim.
He also said that the person who has recently been appointed as the head of the zonal office of Chattogram branch of the bank, has previously worked in BRAC Bank. In other words, he has no experience with Islamic banking. So how did he get appointed to such an important position in an Islamic bank?
The bank authorities say that since 2021, several irregularities have been practiced in the recruitment process of the bank. The new board scrutinized and laid off the unfit. The banks have also claimed that the rules have been followed in this case. It is clear from the statements of the victims that this demand of the current administration of the bank is acceptable.
Social Islami Bank sacked nearly 1,000 officials. Many people's names come up in the layoff list because their homes are only in Chittagong. About 400 officials have been sacked from Union Bank as well.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank has decided to merge the five banks, retrenchment panic has started in those banks. The officers and employees of several private banks are suffering from fear. Banks are taking various strategies including evaluation tests in the name of eligibility verification.
Social Islami Bank has again listed staff layoffs. Other banks are also going through the same process. Unknown fear is working in this among the officials and employees. However, the management authorities of these banks have said that there are no plans for fresh layoffs. Because the merger strategy given by Bangladesh Bank states that no one's job will be lost within three years of the merger.
When asked, Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of SIBL Bank, Najmus Sadat told the Khaborer Kagoj that SIBL Bank does not have any new layoff plans.
It is known that in the first stage he was also in the list of those excluded from this bank. Later he was appointed again by the bank authorities.
"Officers were laid off in many banks. The new board of directors of some banks is laying off staff after the reshuffle. However, there is no layoff in Global Islami Bank. Bangladesh Bank has given the outline of the merger, it has also been said about layoffs, no one will be fired within three years of the merger", Global Islami Bank Chairman Mohammad Nurul Amin told Khaborer Kagoj on the same issue.
Bangladesh Bank says that action will be taken against the authorities if someone is fired unfairly. "Bangladesh Bank's directive that officials cannot be dismissed at will is still in force. However, if there are irregularities in the recruitment process of a particular batch, then the banks can take action. However, there is no scope for selective exclusion," said Arif Hossain Khan, Executive Director and Spokesperson of Bangladesh Bank.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank issued a directive in January 2022 that bankers cannot be fired on the pretext of not achieving targets. It has been said in that instruction, that the officers and employees of the bank-company cannot be deprived of the promotion due to the excuse of not being able to achieve the set goals or inefficiency. Employees cannot be fired or forced to resign unless there is a specific and proven complaint.
