Half Salary Deduction Leaves Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank Temporary Workers in Distress

Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank employs over 300 temporary workers in total. Of these, 200 workers were already part of J&K Grameen Bank before the amalgamation, while the remaining workers joined from the erstwhile EDB.

Salary Slash and Distress

Temporary workers of Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank have alleged that their salaries were slashed by nearly half after the recent amalgamation, leaving hundreds in financial distress.

A worker on condition of anonymity told Kanal, “We who previously belonged to EDB used to get ₹16,000 as monthly salary, but after amalgamation it came down to ₹8,000. Nearly half the salary is gone due to policy overhaul, pushing hundreds of us into economic lurch.”

According to another worker, the shift in sponsor bank from State Bank of India to J&K Bank has also meant a change in outsourcing agencies, worsening their plight.

Workload Beyond Limits
Employees said their duties now extend far beyond clerical support. “Extra work we do includes business mobilisation like recovery outside without any security, deposit mobilisation, sourcing loans, and even selling third-party insurance — both general and life. Many times, we work beyond hours, leaving only after 8–9 PM due to acute staff shortages,” one worker told Kanal.

Duties and Responsibilities of Temporary Workers as per Official Norms
As per circular guidelines, temporary workers are meant to be confined to non-sensitive tasks under branch staff supervision. Their assigned duties include:

• Opening/closing of bank premises in presence of bank staff
• Filing of documents
• Assisting in recovery
• Voucher filing
• Dispatcher duty
• Pantry-related work
• Securing branch/office premises
• Assisting in maintaining/managing stationery in the branch under officer guidance
• Any other non-financial, non-sensitive duties assigned by branch/department officials

The official circular explicitly prohibits temporary workers from handling sensitive financial information, cash counters, or User IDs and passwords. However, workers allege that post-amalgamation, they are increasingly being pushed into responsibilities well beyond these norms without deserving payment.

Recently, AIRRBEA urged the Minister of State for MSME and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, to ensure minimum wages for casual and temporary staff in RRBs. The association has also pressed for a uniform one-time national policy to regularise workers who have completed long years of service.

The situation in Jammu and Kashmir Grameen Bank clearly demonstrates the urgent need for action. Temporary workers play a vital role in rural banking operations, but they continue to face wage cuts, job insecurity, and exploitation even after years of dedicated service.