Employment
The 2021 Labour Code, replacing the 1994 text
Law 022/2021 replaced the 1994 Labour Code, revising dismissal procedure, fixed-term contracts and the treatment of foreign workers. The statutory week is 40 hours and gabonisation rules restrict some posts to nationals.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — The Tribunal du travail hears disputes after inspectorate conciliation.
- Deadline — Probation: one to six months by category under the 2021 Code
- Deadline — Conciliation before the labour inspector: required before suit
Governing law
- Loi n° 022/2021 portant Code du travail
- Décret fixing the salaire minimum interprofessionnel garanti
- Convention collective by sector, notably hydrocarbons
In practice
The 2021 Code tightened the rules on successive fixed-term contracts and clarified that a foreign worker's contract requires prior authorisation, which in a hydrocarbon economy with substantial expatriate employment is the provision most often litigated.