Union Bank’s Denial of Its Own Employees: The ‘Invisible’ Workforce

Discrepancies in Official Records
In response to a starred question in Parliament on 13 December 2021, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman stated that as on 01 December 2021, there were only 74 vacancies in the subordinate staff cadre against 8,569 sanctioned posts in Union Bank of India. This would imply that 8,495 subordinate staff were employed at the time.

However, AIUBEF claims this figure is inaccurate. Based on internal records and RTI findings, only 4,895 housekeeper-cum-peons, who constitute the overwhelming component of subordinate staff, were employed on that date. The bank reportedly had 9,184 branches, indicating that over 4,200 branches were operating without a safai karamchari, a position essential for basic upkeep.

“This clearly indicates that as on 01 December 2021, the number of vacant posts was nearly 4,500 and not 74,” AIUBEF noted in a letter addressed to the Finance Minister on 03 October 2022. The Federation alleges that the incorrect reply in Parliament stemmed from misleading data supplied by the bank’s management. 

According to AIUBEF, the total number of sub-staff(regular employees) across India including armed guards, electricians, and peons/house keepers etc would be around 5000 as of April 2025. They assert that in the remaining permanent vacancies, casual employees have been engaged. Number of casual labourers has increased exponentially after the year 2006, following a judgement by the Supreme Court. 

Casual Workers Paid Below Minimum Wages
In addition to underreporting staffing numbers, AIUBEF has alleged that casual workers are routinely paid below the prescribed minimum wages. Many are engaged under false names or on temporary documentation, preventing them from claiming legal employment benefits or continuity.

Highlighting the plight of casual workers, Jagannatha Chakraborty, General Secretary of AIUBEF, told Kanal, “For casual employees, wages are different in different regions for the same job. They are even forced to hide one’s identity to get paid for the work one has done. This is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution — the right to live with dignity. We are going to file a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), as it comes under the purview of human rights violation.” 

These workers, who often carry out tasks identical to those performed by regular employees, remain outside the purview of official workforce records. According to AIUBEF, this arrangement allows the management to deny responsibilities towards them under labour laws.

Call for Government Oversight
Speaking to Kanal, Jagannatha Chakraborty further added, “Had the Department of Financial Services (DFS), Ministry of Finance, more particularly its Joint Secretary who is in the Board of Union Bank of India as a Government Nominee, been vigilant about Bank’s activities in these regards, the exploitation of the casual workers could have been stopped. But unfortunately, the DFS has been found to avoid such acts of being vigilant under the plea of ‘managerial autonomy to the PSBs in HR matters.’”

He further pointed out that the bank’s board had not approved any new subordinate staff posts for several years, making the Finance Minister’s claim of only 74 vacancies questionable.

(Comparison of the number of housekeeper-cum-peons and the total number of branches of Union Bank of India. Source: Internal Records.)

Letter to Finance Minister Remains Unanswered
In its 03 October 2022 letter, AIUBEF highlighted inconsistencies in the official data and requested an immediate inquiry. The Federation urged the Ministry of Finance to hold the Union Bank management accountable for furnishing misleading information in Parliament and to ensure full transparency regarding sanctioned and vacant positions.

However, AIUBEF reports that no response has been received from the Finance Minister or the Ministry. The silence, it claims, reflects the continued neglect of the issues affecting thousands of casual workers.

‘No branch operating without regular sub-staff’- recent RTI response
According to a latest Right to Information (RTI) response dated 19 December 2024, Union Bank of India stated that there is no branch operating without a regular clerk or regular sub-staff. However, despite this claim, records show that the last recruitment process for the sub-staff cadre was conducted in 2014. Since then, there has been no fresh recruitment for subordinate positions, raising questions about how the bank has managed staffing requirements across its vast network of branches over the past decade. The bank further mentioned that specific data regarding staff resignations, retirements, or dismissals in the last ten years is not compiled, citing that collating such information would disproportionately divert resources.

(Union Bank’s response to the RTI filed by Devidas Tuljapurkar, the All India Joint Secretary of AIBEA.)  

Ongoing Demand for Regularisation
Casual workers in Union Bank of India have been demanding regularisation of their employment for several years. Despite working full-time in regular roles, many remain ineligible for statutory benefits, social security, or job security.

Employees unions have launched multiple campaigns and submitted several   representations on the matter, but the management and government have maintained an indifferent stance, often denying the very existence of casual labour in public sector banks.

Despite the MD & CEO of Union Bank of India agreeing on 11 December 2024 before the Regional Labour Commissioner (Kolkata - Central) to pay bonuses to eligible casual workers, the exploitation continues unabated as the commitment has not been fulfilled. In addition, the long-standing demand for regularisation of these employees is currently under adjudication before the CGIT-cum-Labour Court, following a referral by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.