DFS Transfer Guidelines Violated in UP Gramin Bank, Officers Raise Concerns Over Unfair Transfer Process

The transfer dispute in Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank is still going on. Many reports claim that the bank is not handling transfers in a fair and transparent way. Even though the Ministry of Finance has clearly explained the transfer rules, the bank is still not following them.

The Prathama UP Gramin Bank Officers’ Federation has written to the Chairman of Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank, expressing deep dissatisfaction with “opaque” and “unfair” transfer process carried out by the Head Office.

Despite repeated assurances from the management about fairness and transparency, the reality on the ground paints a very different picture. The Head Office has reportedly received a large number of transfer requests, making the exercise challenging.

However, the HRM Department has issued several confidential transfer lists without revealing the criteria used for selection. This is a direct violation of transfer policy guidelines laid down by NABARD, the Department of Financial Services (DFS), and even the bank’s own policies.

Click here to read Government Guidelines on Transfers and Postings

The Federation noted that staff members had high hopes when Uttar Pradesh Gramin Bank (UPGB) was formed, expecting that they might be posted closer to their hometowns or at least to nearby areas. But the current transfer exercise has left most of them “disappointed and demoralized.”

While the bank claims that transfers are being considered on grounds such as physical disability, spouse employment, age, medical needs, and general requests, the Federation says only about 10% of eligible staff have actually been accommodated.

Some of the examples of unfair transfers include:

• Employees whose spouses are working in the bank or other organizations, and who have small children, were denied transfers.
• Staff nearing retirement, though eligible, were denied transfers based on their job scale.
• Officers with family members suffering from serious health issues were ignored.
• Most officers who had completed the required tenure in their current postings — whether in branch offices, regional offices, or head office — were not considered at all.

According to the Federation, such arbitrary decision-making not only violates policy but also damages employee morale.

This transfer exercise could have been used as an opportunity to integrate staff from the erstwhile banks merged into UPGB by allowing inter-regional postings. This would have helped blend different work cultures and foster a unified organizational spirit. But the opportunity has been wasted.

UP Gramin Bank Employees have demanded the Chairman to:

• Publish transfer lists and decisions with full transparency.
• Clearly define and make public the criteria for transfers.
• Establish a fair and impartial grievance redressal system.
• Consider cultural integration of staff from merged banks during transfers.
• Comply with DFS and NABARD guidelines on involving trade unions in the transfer process.

The Federation has clearly warned that if these steps are not taken then it might lead to industrial dispute.

Click here to read Government Guidelines on Transfers and Postings