Will PNB Female Employees not get Exemption from Rotational Transfer for 2nd Child?
AIPNBOA has taken up an important matter for consideration. Will PNB Female Employees not get Exemption from Rotational Transfer for 2nd Child?
As per latest guidelines released by PNB for rotational transfers, female officers in family way can avail child’s age up to 5 years and 9 months including 9 months of pregnancy and having child below 5 years can only avail one of the two exemptions and repeated exemptions under same clause or both clauses shall not be permissible for a particular transfer order.
This means that females would be exempt from Rotational transfers on basis of child for only once. This will prove to be highly harmful for the employees as it would be difficult for women with newborns to relocate to a new location.
AIPNBOA has demanded suitable amendment/ clarification to allow exemption independently for each pregnancy and for each child below five years of age, without treating it as repeated exemption.
AIPNBOA has written a letter to MD&CEO to look into the issue and resolve it at the earliest.
AIPNBOA said that new guidelines state that:
“Female officers in family way (for a period of 05 years 09 months including 09 months of pregnancy) and female officers having a child below 05 years of age (till child turns 05 years of age) – at any given time, only one of the above two exemptions shall be applicable and repeated exemption under the same clause or invocation of both the clauses shall not be permissible for a particular transfer order.”
Due to the restrictive interpretation of the above clause, the following situation has arisen:
If a female officer had availed exemption in the previous year because she had a child below five years of age (say, 4 years old as on 31.03.2025) and as on 31.03.2026 that child has crossed the age of five, but in the intervening period she has either conceived or delivered a second child, she is being rendered ineligible for exemption on the ground of “repeated exemption” or invocation under the same clause.
This interpretation is causing serious concern and distress among female officers. The clause, as presently worded and implemented, effectively penalizes motherhood beyond one child within the five-year framework, which appears inconsistent with the humane and progressive spirit of the Bank’s policies and national discourse encouraging family support systems.
AIPNBOA said that:
- The intention of the exemption clause is to protect maternity and childcare responsibilities, not to restrict them to a single instance.
- The present restriction creates unintended discrimination and hardship for women officers during critical family phases.
- The spirit of MOU was to ensure compassionate implementation of transfer norms.
AIPNBOA has requested MD&CEO to look into the issue and do the needful.
