42% of director positions vacant on boards of 12 public sector banks

Almost 42 per cent of director seats on the boards of 12 public sector banks (PSBs) lie vacant, the government told Parliament on Monday.

 

The Ministry of Finance, in a reply in Lok Sabha, said that the PSBs intimate the vacancies on the board of the bank and difficulties faced by them, if any, from time to time.

 

“The government takes all the required action to fill up the vacancies at the earliest possible,” said Minister of State (MOS) for the Ministry of Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

 

The banks listed have varying numbers of director positions on their boards, with different levels of vacancies.

 

Bank of Baroda (BOB) has 16 director positions, with 6 vacancies. Bank of India (BOI) also has 16 positions, with 5 vacant. Bank of Maharashtra (BOM) has 14 positions, 8 of which are vacant. Canara Bank has 16 director positions, with 5 vacant spots. The Central Bank of India (CBI) has 15 positions on its board, with 7 vacancies.

 

Indian Bank has 16 positions, with 7 vacancies. Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) holds 14 positions, with 7 vacant. Punjab & Sind Bank has 14 positions, with 8 vacancies. Punjab National Bank (PNB) has 16 positions, with 7 vacant spots. UCO Bank has 14 positions, with 6 vacancies. Union Bank of India (UBI) has 16 positions, with 5 vacant. Lastly, State Bank of India (SBI) has the highest number of director positions at 19, with 7 vacant.

 

According to the data provided, the PSBs have been deprived of adequate staff over the years. In 2013, there were 3,98,801 clerks in PSBs, but by 2024, this number had reduced to 2,46,965, showing a decrease of 1,51,835 clerks.

 

Similarly, the number of sub staff members dropped from 1,53,628 in 2013 to 94,348 in 2024, a reduction of 59,280. Overall, the total number of bank staff in PSBs decreased from 8,86,490 in 2013 to 7,46,679 in 2024, a decline of 1,39,811 employees.

 

In contrast, private sector banks saw a significant increase in their staff, with the number of employees rising from 2,29,124 in 2013 to 8,46,530 in 2024, an increase of 6,17,406 staff members.  

 

Meanwhile, the United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), a joint coordination body representing nine major bank unions, has called for a two-day continuous strike from midnight on March 23 to March 25, 2025.

 

The UFBU claims to represent more than 800,000 employees and officers from Public Sector Banks, Private Sector Banks, Foreign Banks, Co-operative Banks, and Regional Rural Banks. The strike is combined by the All India Bank Employees Association, All India Bank Officers Confederation, National Confederation of Bank Unions, All India Bank Officers Association, Bank Employees Federation of India, Indian National Bank Employees Federation, Indian National Bank Officers Congress, National Organisation of Bank Workers, and National Organisation of Bank Officers.

 

The unions have outlined several demands and issues leading to the strike. These include adequate recruitment in all cadres and the regularisation of all temporary employees. They have also called for the implementation of a 5-day workweek in the banking industry.

 

Additionally, the unions are demanding the immediate withdrawal of recent DFS/Government directives on performance review and PLI, which they claim threaten job security, create divisions among employees, and violate the 8th Joint Note.