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Paschim Banga Gramin Bank Suspends Employees Association General Secretary for Holding Casual Workers' Meeting
Paschim Banga Gramin Bank Employees Association (PBGBEA) has condemned the suspension of its General Secretary, Goutam Mukherjee, for organizing a casual workers' meeting. The union demands immediate revocation, warning of potential agitation if ignored.
Author: Saurav Kumar
Published: January 31, 2025
In a shocking development, a clerical employee of the Paschim Banga Gramin Bank (PBGB) was suspended by the management for conducting a meeting of the casual workers. The Paschim Banga Gramin Bank Employees Association (PBGBEA) has strongly condemned the suspension of its General Secretary, Goutam Mukherjee, calling it a vindictive act aimed at suppressing employees’ voice.
Goutam Mukherjee, a clerical staff member of PBGB, was issued a show cause notice on January 22 for holding a meeting on bank premises during a non-functional day, January 11, 2025. He was subsequently suspended by order of the General Manager on January 28.
Union Calls Suspension a Discriminatory Act
In a letter dated January 30, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of Paschim Banga Gramin Bank, the union criticized the suspension, stating, “The action taken so far by the Bank in this instant case, raised on purely trade union grounds, is totally discriminatory. When it is already on record that someone with more serious allegations backed with enough evidence was allowed to be set free, this move clearly signals a bias against the union and its leadership.”
The association further accuses the bank’s management of deliberately ignoring long-pending demands and escalating tensions among employees by targeting union leaders instead of addressing legitimate grievances.
According to a union source who wished to remain anonymous, the casual workers’ meeting had reportedly displeased the bank management, ultimately leading to the suspension of the clerical staff, who also serves as the General Secretary of PBGBEA.
The source further revealed that the bank is significantly falling short of its projected corporate targets for March 2025 across key parameters, including total business, deposits, advances, and NPA. With the financial year-end just two months away, such a decision negatively impacts the bank’s working environment.
Demands and Threat of Agitation
The PBGBEA has placed the following demands before the bank’s management:
- Immediate and unconditional revocation of Goutam Mukherjee’s suspension.
- A formal meeting between the bank’s management and union representatives to resolve all outstanding issues amicably.
The union has warned that if their demands are not met within a reasonable timeframe, they will be left with no alternative but to launch an agitation. “For all its consequences, the management will be held solely responsible,” the letter states, further warning that they will escalate the issue to higher authorities, along with documents and arguments supporting their stance.
With tensions rising in Paschim Banga Gramin Bank, all eyes are now on the management’s response to the growing discontent among employees.