PNB faces shortage of 15,000 employees: Bank officers' body

The All-India Punjab National Bank's Officers' Association (AIPNBOA) today said that PNB was facing a shortage of 15,000 employees, which has adversely affected the branch expansion programme of the public sector lender.

"The bank faces a shortage of at least 15,000 employees in all cadres across the country, which is affecting the branch expansion plans of the bank," AIPNBOA General Secretary K D Khera told reporters here today.

The association said that PNB has not been able to open its targeted 318 branches in the last fiscal because of a severe shortage of manpower. "The bank had set a target to open 318 branches across the country last fiscal... But licenses of new branches are pending and these could not be opened due to acute shortage of staff, which needs to be addressed immediately," he said.

Stating that the attrition rate in the banking industry was 50 per cent, he said that PNB was shedding 1,200 employees every year. "We have an average employee age in PNB of 50 years and almost 1,200 employees are retiring every year, burdening the existing staff with overwork," he said.

The association also blamed the PNB management for the slow progress in recruitment of new employees. "PNB was to recruit 1,746 employees last year, but over a year has passed (and) it has not been able to recruit, which shows insensitive attitude of management towards its existing staff," he said.