2024-07-09 10:23:57
Employees of state-owned Sonali Bank have protested to demand 6 incentive bonuses including permanentization of employees, introduction of pet quota. Motijheel Sonali Bank head office workers staged this movement on Monday (July 8). The bank’s chairman Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui and Managing Director (MD) and CEO Md. Afzal stood in front of Karim’s office for about an hour.
Sonali Bank Employees Union President. Mizanul Haque and general secretary. A delegation of agitating workers led by Helal Uddin met the Chairman and MD and presented their 4 point demands. These include- immediate regularization of those employed on temporary basis for 20-25 years, 6 bonuses from operating profit in 2023, immediate hiring of employees, demand for introduction of pet quota.
In the letter given to the MD of Sonali Bank, Sonali Bank Plc is the largest reputed commercial bank in South East Asia, the officers and employees are working tirelessly as a bank of public trust in implementing various policies and directives of the government. Everything that Sonali Bank PLC has achieved since its inception till date has been achieved through the continuous efforts of the able Board of Directors, CEO & Managing Director, Senior Management Authorities and all levels of officers and employees. The bank gave us four and a half incentive bonuses in 2022 against an operating profit of Tk 2,382 crore. But in 2023 a record profit of Tk 3846 crore is earned, so why should we accept 3 incentive bonuses despite earning extra profit this year? But this profit has been achieved as a result of tireless work, honesty and sharp talented leadership as well as the efforts of all officers and employees. It is never desirable that we should be deprived of our rightful rights by the undue interference of others, which is our collective achievement.
Note that the state-owned commercial and specialized banks can give a maximum of three ‘incentive bonuses’ per year. By imposing such conditions, the Financial Institutions and Markets Department of the Ministry of Finance published a guideline called ‘Incentive Bonus’ in February this year. The new guidelines state that ‘incentive bonus’ is not a right, but a financial benefit, which is given at the discretion of the board.