Guinea Bissau

Employment Contracts

Employment contracts must be written, except those for a specific task in which the duration does not exceed 30 days. Employment contracts can be for an indefinite period or a fixed term. There must be three written of the contract, which must contain:

• Identification of the employer and employee
• Place of work
• Salary and the methods and ways of payment
• Working hours
• Annual leave duration
• Any other term agreed between the parties
• Date and signature

Public Holidays

Guinea Bissau observes the following public holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Heroes’ Day
• International Women’s Day
• Labour Day
• Eid al-Fitr
• Eid al-Adha
• Pidjiguiti Day
• National Day
• Readjustment Movement Day
• Christmas Day

Compensation

The minimum wage is set at CFA 19,030 (Central African Francs) per month and a bag of rice.
Bonuses are not required by law, bust some employers choose to offer performance-based bonuses.

Working Hours

The standard workweek is capped at 45 hours, with eight hours a day over seven consecutive days. Employers may set the schedule of the weekly working period according to one of the following:

• Work for six working days, with a weekly rest day on Sundays
• Work for five and a half working days, with additional rest of half a day and weekly rest on Sundays
• Work for five (working days, with an additional rest day and weekly rest on Sundays

Overtime is capped at two hours a day or 120 hours annually. Young workers, women and disabled workers can refuse to do overtime.
Evening work is between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and cannot be performed by young workers and female employees.

Vacation Leave

Employees receive 30 days of paid annual leave per year, which cannot be accumulated, and the dates are decided by an agreement between parties. For fixed-term employment contracts with less than one year, the annual leave is paid at 2.5 days for each month of work.

Sick Leave

Employees receive at least five paid days of sick leave annually.

Maternity / Paternity Leave

Female employees receive 60 days of paid leave, which are paid by the employer unless the employee is covered by social security, in which case the social security pays for the benefit. There is no statutory paternity leave.

Employment Termination / Severance

The employer may terminate the employment contract by consent, just cause, by economic reasons, or for its expiration date. During the probation period, both parties can terminate the employment contract without notice.

The employment contract may be terminated by just cause of the employee for gross misconduct in the workplace, constant absences and delays to work, unlawful disobedience to their superiors or repeated failure to comply with occupational hygiene and safety policies. In this case, the dismissal can only be made through disciplinary proceedings established in the labor code. During the disciplinary proceedings, the employee will be suspended without a salary until the last decision.

Health Insurance Benefits

Private healthcare is recommended.