Separate toilet for women – Canara Bank shows the way

N.Rajagopal

For quite some years, Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) has been agitating over an important issue of providing separate toilet for women employees at all the bank  branches and three other demands.

Dharna

To pursue these issues to its logical end, the Women Sub-Committee of BEFI conducted extensive campaign amongst the employees and the general public. Further the Tamilnadu Unit of BEFI organised a day long Dharna at Chennai on 25th June 2016 demanding the bank managements / GOI to concede the just demands participated by more than 200 women and men employees. Similarly dharnas and demonstrations were held in many other parts of the country. These agitation programmes created a big impact on the minds of the general public and the bank employees.

Further BEFI sought details under Right to Information Act from all the Public Sector Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Co-operative banks with regard to separate toilet for women employees. From the information gathered, it was shocking to know that even some of the metropolitan city branches did not have a separate toilet facility for women employees. These demands were raised by the 3rd National Convention of women bank employees of BEFI held at Chennai during 17th and 18th December 2017 and again during the 10th conference of BEFI held at Trivandrum during 28th to 31st Jan 2019 at Trivandrum.  Without any letup, these issues were campaigned, agitated and raised in all the platforms and negotiations with the respective Managements by the Units of BEFI.  

Canara Bank shows the way

Now Canara Bank has shown the way with regard to providing of separate toilet facility to women employees working at all the branches / offices. A decision had been taken in this regard and the same has been communicated  through their inter-office memorandum dated 4th January 2022. They have asked the circle offices to furnish the details of branches with and without exclusive toilet for women employees. Also, they have asked the branches without exclusive toilet for ladies to take up the matter with the land lords of the respective branches / offices to construct a separate toilet for women employees.  Further it has been said in that communication that  in case the land lords do not agree to construct a separate ladies’ toilet, the bank may construct the same at Bank’s cost.

It is really commendable that Canara Bank had come forward to provide a separate toilet for women employees. The Government and the Indian Banks Association (IBA) may impress upon other banks also to follow Canara Bank which has shown the way with regard to providing separate toilet for women employees.

4 comments

  1. The dharna during the 2016 had brought the issue to the bank employees serious attention.while welcomeing the Canara bank managements’ initiative to provide separate toilets to all the lady staff we should relentlessly pursue the matter to get the separate toilets for lady employees in all the bank branches

  2. I am actually appalled to know that women employees at banks do not have a separate washroom/toilet. Having worked at private companies all my life I thought it was a given. Hope all other banks/ branches too implement this at the earliest.

  3. The Article is voicing the strength of Representative Protest efforts through Union. I would appreciate the author for highlighting an issue which had been ignored hitherto by many organisations.

    There were couple of movies which handled the “Toilet ” problem faced by women… Tamil movie Joker is notable one.

    Happy to note Canara is Pioneering…

    The disturbing question is how much our fellow sisters are suffering due to unclean and inadequate hygiene facilities in Private sectors for examples in many small apparel shops we find women work in sales dept…

    They perhaps curse their fate and pull on.

    We need to be more sensible on such issues and only that will help us from avoiding guilt….

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