Employment
Código del Trabajo with 13th and 14th salary obligations
The Código del Trabajo regulates employment. The ordinary week is 40 hours. Employers owe a decimotercera remuneración (Christmas bonus) and a decimocuarta remuneración (schooling bonus), plus profit-sharing for many employers. Unjustified dismissal triggers a desahucio payment and an indemnity graduated by years of service.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National, enforced by labour courts and the Ministerio del Trabajo
- Deadline — Decimotercera: paid by 24 December; decimocuarta by 15 March or 15 August by region
- Deadline — Annual leave: 15 days after one year
- Deadline — Claims limitation: three years
Governing law
- Código del Trabajo
- Ley Orgánica para la Promoción del Trabajo Juvenil
- Ley Orgánica de Apoyo Humanitario (2020) - special contracts
In practice
The thirteenth and fourteenth salaries are separate statutory entitlements rather than discretionary bonuses, and the fourteenth is timed to the school year, which differs between the Sierra and Costa regions. Employers with employees must also register them with the IESS social-security institute from day one; failure to do so is a criminal offence under the COIP as well as a labour violation.