AIPNBOF (PNB) Strike Deferred, Next Meeting on 20 January 2025

The All India Punjab National Bank Officers’ Federation had earlier served a notice of strike, dated December 5, 2024, to the management of Punjab National Bank (PNB). The strike was planned for two days, December 26 and 27, 2024. Copies of the strike notice were also sent to the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Delhi, and the Secretary, Ministry of Labour & Employment, New Delhi.

The strike notice was taken up for conciliation, and a meeting was scheduled on December 20, 2024, at 11:30 AM. During the proceedings, the representatives of the union expressed their demands and grievances, as outlined in the strike notice. They emphasized that if their issues were not resolved amicably, they would have no choice but to proceed with the planned strike.

The management, on the other hand, clarified that Punjab National Bank, as a public sector entity under the Government of India, operates without any discriminatory policies. The management reiterated its willingness to address the federation’s concerns through discussions, both in the conciliation forum and through bilateral meetings. They emphasized that a strike would not benefit the bank, its employees, or the country.

After detailed discussions, both parties reached an agreement on several key points:

1. TDS on Perquisites: The management agreed to defer the deduction of TDS on perquisites, including the implementation of certain instructions from a circular (No. HO/D/25/2024 dated September 21, 2024) until the next conciliation meeting.
2. Transfer and Special Leave Issues: The management committed to revisiting and examining the matters related to transfers and special leave for office bearers of the association or federation. A report on these issues will be presented at the next meeting.
3. Other Concerns: The management also agreed to review other concerns raised by the federation, such as MRM (Monthly Review Meetings), HRMS self-service for membership updates, NPS fund manager selection, and day-end checks. Additionally, the bank will consider implementing a new transfer policy in line with guidelines issued by the Department of Financial Services (DFS) on November 26, 2024, effective from April 1, 2025.

The conciliation officer advised both parties to continue bilateral discussions on the remaining matters and provide updates at the next meeting. In response, the management appealed to the federation to withdraw the strike and ensure smooth functioning of the bank. The federation agreed to defer the strike. The next conciliation meeting is scheduled for January 20, 2025, at 11:30 AM.

AIPNBOF Demands

• Immediate acceptance and implementation of IBA-approved five-day banking week by the Government of India (owner of the bank).
• Adequate recruitment of staff to address staff shortages in branches.
• Perquisite tax payment to be borne by the bank and not the employees.
• Allow employees under NPS to choose their Pension Fund Manager.
• Payment of arrears for medical aid to officer employees for the period 01-11-2022 to 31-12-2023.
• Stop discrimination in leave and transfer matters among officers’ associations office-bearers.
• Stop discrimination between AINBOF and other officer associations in bank circulars, specifically by the HRD and Finance divisions.
• Stop victimization of members through transfer orders against the bank’s own guidelines in various circles.
• Oppose weaponization of transfer and posting by circle heads.
• Stop year-round transfers of officers against the bank’s and government’s own guidelines.
• Oppose violations of promotion allocation guidelines and transfer policies to accommodate officers of specific associations.
• Allow officers to join any association online through HRMS (Self Service).
• Provide the right to hold Management Relations Meetings (MRM) at various levels with the management.
• Stop window dressing of business performance and avoid rewarding individuals who use unethical means to inflate performance during campaigns.
• Stop day-end checks on branches and holiday working for officers.
• Increase the loaning power of general banking branches.
• Stop evaluating PAF marks through Udaan due to its numerous discrepancies.
• Stop undue pressure on bank employees for cross-selling third-party products.
• Stop issuing tabular/charge sheets to officers against the bank’s staff accountability policy.
• Stop investigations based on anonymous and pseudonymous complaints.
• Address corporate mismanagement in Muzaffarnagar and Kurukshetra circles, which has adversely impacted the bank and its customers; demand action against such corporate officials.
• Adopt the government-proposed transfer policy with improvements to ensure every officer gets an opportunity to move to a desired circle on request, anywhere in the country.