248. Every employer shall, upon written request, grant a leave without pay to an employee who is a candidate or intends to become one. The request may be made at any time from the date of the order instituting the election.
The employee’s leave begins on the day requested by the employee and ends on the thirtieth day following the expiry of the period for filing nomination papers if he is not a candidate, or if he is, on the thirtieth day following the declaration of election.
The employee may terminate his leave at any time.