Employment
The 2002 Labour Code, amended 2016
Law 015/2002 governs employment, amended in 2016 to raise the minimum working age and revise maternity protection. The statutory week is 45 hours and dismissal for economic reasons requires prior authorisation from the labour inspectorate.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Tribunal du travail hears disputes; the inspectorate conciliates first.
- Deadline — Probation: maximum one month for unskilled, six months otherwise
- Deadline — Economic dismissal: prior inspectorate authorisation required
Governing law
- Loi n° 015/2002 portant Code du travail
- Loi n° 16/010 modifying the Labour Code
- Arrêtés fixing the salaire minimum interprofessionnel garanti
In practice
The requirement of prior administrative authorisation for economic dismissal — not merely notification, as in several neighbours — is the distinctive feature of Congolese labour law and a frequent point of friction in the mining sector.