28-year-old Srinivasulu from Amaravati was supposed to get married in a few days; however, his wedding was called off, after he was terminated from his job. Srinivasulu, who is visually impaired, was working with the State Bank of India (SBI) as a probationer. On April 11, he received a termination notice because he couldn’t clear the confirmation exam.
In fact, he is one of five visually impaired employees from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who have been sacked by SBI. Srinivasulu, Pavithra Babu, GP Raju, Raj Kumar and Sushmita lost their jobs in quick succession. The probationers were given two attempts to clear the confirmation exam to get a permanent posting. However, they were not able to clear either time.
Feeling helpless, they have now appealed to the central government run bank to reconsider the decision.
Srinivasulu, who lives in a joint family along with his parents, his elder brother, and his brother’s children, was the main breadwinner for the family for the past 34 months. He secured a job with the State Bank of Hyderabad – which was later merged into the State Bank of India.
Speaking to TNM, he said, “The bank officials should reconsider their decision. Everything was fine until recently. But now, my entire world has turned upside down. It is like a nightmare.”
“I was supposed to get married this month. My engagement was fixed for May 21. But I had to call it off. I don’t understand what to do and whom to approach,” he added.
The distressed man said he would have qualified had the federal system of banking continued.
“I think there is something suspicious. I performed well in the exam. Had I been in State Bank of Hyderabad, I would have definitely qualified. But after merging all the banks into SBI, there seems to be a motive to sack employees who came from the sister banks,” Srinivasulu alleged.
Pavithra Babu from Vijayawada had a similar tragic tale to share. He was planning to enroll his daughter into a school this July. But, he is on a backfoot now, after losing his job.
He said, “I am suffering with depression after losing my job. It is just helplessness, there is no one to help me or my family. I come from a really poor family. I just started making some money. Life has become miserable since I lost the job.”
GP Raju from Hyderabad was terminated on April 20. Out of the 45% required for qualifying, he secured 44.25%. “My life is in shambles now,” he said.
The five of them have collectively appealed to the bank authorities to either consider conducting another exam, or consider reinstating them at least as temporary employees.
“We all come from poor families. We just started supporting our families. We are disabled. It is difficult for us to get other jobs. The bank should consider our plight and conduct another test in a fair manner,” Srinivasulu appealed.