When can a bank refuse to leave or recall an employee from leave?

Leave of all kinds cannot be claimed as a matter of right. When the exigencies of service so require, discretion to refuse or revoke leave of any description is reserved to the authority granting it, and an employee already on leave may be recalled when considered necessary in the interests of the Bank. As per the 12th BPS/9th Joint Note, a provision will be put in place to record the reason for the refusal or postponement of leave by the leave-sanctioning authority.

When an employee is called back from leave, the bank will pay his traveling expenses to and from the place where he was spending his holiday. The employee will also be entitled to claim travel expenses of his spouse and children and dependent parents having no independent source of income provided they have accompanied him while going to such place or have gone to such place within a week of his going there and have accompanied him whilst returning from such place or have returned to the place of work within a week of his return to that place.

Some employees may submit a medical certificate in support of their absence. If the Branch Manager has reason to believe that the medical certificates are not genuine, the employee may in consultation with the controlling authority be subjected to an examination by a Medical Board consisting of the Banks Authorised Doctor/Medical Officer, specialist in the field, and a physician of repute.

When leave is refused by the Bank for any reason to an employee, who has at his credit the maximum permissible accumulated leave, he will continue to earn privilege leave and further accumulation of leave beyond the permissible limit will be allowed to him until the Bank is in a position to grant him leave. Privilege leave can be normally availed of by an employee only on four occasions in a financial year (except on medical grounds or extraordinary circumstances). There shall be no contravention of this provision without justifiable reason. Employees should, therefore, plan their leave program sufficiently in advance to adhere to the stipulations referred to above.