The Diwan Al-Madhalim (Board of Grievances) affirmed that it is not permissible to deny a government employee their annual leave as a punitive measure for work shortcomings, stating that regulations specify accountability methods, and leave denial is not among them.

The Diwan clarified, through one of the rulings published in its judicial blogs, that annual leave is a statutory right of the employee that cannot be encroached upon, adding that the maximum allowed period for postponing an employee's leave is 90 days from the date specified in the request.

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The ruling revealed that an administrative appeals court upheld the cancellation of a government entity's decision that refused to grant an employee his annual leave despite repeated requests. The court affirmed that the administrative entity thereby violated the provisions of the executive regulations of human resources in the civil service.

Rejection of using leave as a punishment tool

The judicial reasoning clarified that questioning and holding an employee accountable for any professional negligence is carried out through specific statutory means, stressing the rejection of using statutory leave as a tool for pressure or punishment outside the approved legal frameworks. This ruling announcement comes in the context of the Diwan Al-Madhalim's efforts to enhance judicial and legal awareness within work environments. The Diwan indicated that publishing judicial blogs supports the goals of its 2030 system, aiming for leadership and maximizing impact.