PNB Officers Withdraw Extra Cooperation in Ludhiana Circle, Protest against Toxic Work Culture
The All India Punjab National Bank Officers’ Association (AIPNBOA), Ludhiana Unit, has announced the withdrawal of all extra cooperation by officers in Ludhiana Circle over concerns about the working environment at PNB SSI Cheema Chowk Branch.
The association had raised the matter several times through representations dated July 9, August 4 and August 5, and also through verbal discussions. However, no meaningful corrective or disciplinary action has been taken till now against the concerned Branch Head.
The association said the situation had further worsened and raised concerns over the administrative functioning of Branch Head Renu Bala Arora. She is the current branch head of SSI Cheema Chowk branch and is currently working as Chief Manager.
Two employees – Deepak Bohra and Kapil Kalra have raised several allegations against her. Deepak Bohra is also a neuro patient and requires regular medical care.
He alleged that he was publicly humiliated in front of customers and colleagues, suffered an anxiety episode while on duty and sought permission for urgent medical treatment. He further alleged that he was later marked absent despite going for medical attention.
Kapil Kalra was marked absent in HRMS as he marked his attendance at 10:01 AM. As per PNB guidelines, an employee is allowed to mark attendance late up to three times in a month under exceptional circumstances. Attendance in PNB is marked online through a mobile app or a biometric device installed on a computer system.
Sometimes, due to technical issues, the app loads slowly or the computer system hangs, so attendance may get delayed by a minute or two. Marking attendance at 10:01 AM does not necessarily mean that the employee was late. Moreover, other staff members who marked their attendance after Kapil Kalra were marked present, while Kapil was marked absent. This suggests that the Branch Head may have some enmity towards the employee.
These incidents have raised serious concerns about employee welfare and dignity at the workplace. The association said repeated employee complaints show that the matter has become a serious industrial relations issue. It alleged that fear, mental stress, low employee morale, strained relations and dissatisfaction are affecting the branch. It said this could also affect customer service, business development and the bank’s reputation.
AIPNBOA has demanded an immediate and impartial inquiry into the functioning of the branch and examination of complaints submitted by employees, including Deepak Bohra and Kapil Kalra.
The association said all extra cooperation by officers in Ludhiana Circle has been withdrawn with immediate effect and will remain withdrawn until corrective measures are taken and employees’ confidence is restored.
