Business Desk :
The Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) on Wednesday urged Bangladesh Bank to extend the time period for implementation of its instructions that have fixed the salary of entry-level private bank officials.
The association made the call in a meeting with Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir at the central bank headquarters in Dhaka.
After the meeting, BAB Chairman Md Nazrul Islam Mazumder told reporters that the association informed the banking regulator that it would be difficult for the lenders to implement the Bangladesh Bank instructions by March 1.
“The recently issued Bangladesh Bank guidelines regarding the minimum salary and allowance for private bank officials will be difficult to implement within the stipulated time,” he said.
He, however, said that the Bangladesh Bank has assured the BAB that it would consider the issue with utmost importance.
Chief Spokesperson and Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Md Serajul Islam said the BAB had requested the central bank to extend the deadline.
The Bangladesh Bank has assured the organisation that it would reconsider whether the deadline could be extended, he added.
The central bank issued the notice with a stipulation of the entry-level salary of assistant officer, trainee assistant officer, trainee assistant cash officer or equivalent officials to be a minimum Tk28,000 during the probation period.
The total salary of an entry-level official, including basic pay, will have to be at least Tk39,000 a month after the end of the probation period, it added.
The central bank also mentioned that the opening salary of support staff, messengers, cleaners, security guards, or equivalent positions, should be at least Tk24,000.
As per the latest central bank notice, no bank will be allowed to sack or ask any employee to resign or postpone promotions over failures to attain deposit mobilisation targets.
In Wednesday’s meeting, senior officials of the central bank, chairmen of different banks and leaders of ABB were also present.
