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Congo, Democratic Republic of the - Working time - 2011


LAST UPDATE

01 June 2011.
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SOURCES


Name of Act

Labour Code,
Law No. 015/2002, dated 16 October 2002 (Journal officiel, 2002-10-25, Special issue, pp. 4-80)
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Name of Act

Order No. 68/11 issuing regulations on hours of work and payment for overtime, of 17 May 1968
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Name of Act

Order No. 68/12 on work on the weekly rest day, of 17 May 1968
Coverage:
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Name of Act

Order No. 68/14 on night work remuneration, of 17 May 1968
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Name of Act

Ordinance No. 79/154 to fix public holidays, of 23 June 1979

Name of Act

Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children.

LEGAL DEFINITIONS


Working time/working hours

The period from the time that the worker is at the disposal of the employer at the workplace until the end of his or her services, in accordance with the hourly schedule applicable in the undertaking. Does not include the journey to and from the workplace, unless that period is inherent in the work.
Labour Code §119(2)-(3)

Employee/worker

Every natural person with age to be hired, no matter the sex, civil state or nationality, engaged in exercising his/her professional activity, receiving for that a remuneration, under the authority of a natural or moral person, public or private, linked by an employement contract.
Labour Code §7 a)

Employer

Every natural or moral person of public or private law, making use of the services provided by one or more workers by means of an employment contract.
Labour Code §7 b)

Overtime/overtime work

Any hours worked beyond the normal hours of work.
Labour Code §119(4)

Night work(er)

Night work is work between 19.00 and 5.00.
Labour Code §124

NORMAL HOURS LIMITS


Daily hours limit


General limit

In every public or private establishment, even those directed to education or charity, the legal working time of employees and workers, of whichever sex, no matter the nature of the work, cannot exceed 45 hours per week and 9 hours per day.
Labour Code §119(1)

Special categories


» Young workers

Children with age between 14 and 16 and less than 18 can only perform light and clean work defined in art. 9 of the Decree 19/67, from 03/10//1967, taking into account that those works:

1. Do not exceed 4 hours per day, as well as school days and holidays;
2. Do not constitute an obstacle to the school taks.

Children with age between 16 and 18 cannot work for more than 8 hours per day.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §24, 25(1)

» Women

The working time for women cannot exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, unless in the cases forseen in section 2 of the present chapter.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §4(1)

Weekly hours limit


General limit

In every public or private establishment, even those directed to education or charity, the legal working time of employees and workers, of whichever sex, no matter the nature of the work, cannot exceed 45 hours per week and 9 hours per day.
Labour Code §119(1)
Historical data (year indicates year of data collection)
  • 2009: 45 hours
  • 2007: 45 hours

Special categories


» Young workers

Children with age between 14 and 16 and less than 18 can only perform light and clean work defined in art. 9 of the Decree 19/67, from 03/10//1967, taking into account that those works:

1. Do not exceed 4 hours per day, as well as school days and holidays;
2. Do not constitute an obstacle to the school taks.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §24

» Women

The working time for women cannot exceed 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, unless in the cases forseen in section 2 of the present chapter.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §4(1)

OVERTIME WORK


Criteria for overtime


General

Overtime work is permissible for:
1. Work that must be performed outside of normal working hours.
2. Urgent work to prevent or respond to accidents or to save perishable goods or crops.
3. Extraordinary workloads.
Order No. 68/11 issuing regulations on hours of work and payment for overtime §19

Limits on overtime hours


General limits

Work that must be performed outside of normal working hours:
1 hour per day

Urgent work to prevent or respond to accidents or to save perishable goods or crops:
no limit (first day)
2 hours (subsequent days)

Extraordinary workloads:
12 hours per week and 144 hours per year.
Order No. 68/11 issuing regulations on hours of work and payment for overtime §§14-15, 18, 19
Historical data (year indicates year of data collection)
  • 2009: Work that must be performed outside of normal working hours: 1 hour per day Urgent work to prevent or respond to accidents or to save perishable goods or crops: no limit (first day) 2 hours (subsequent days) Extraordinary workloads: 12 hours per week and 144 hours per year.
  • 2007: Extraordinary workloads: 12 hours per week and 144 hours per year
  • 2007: Work that must be performed outside of normal working hours: 1 hour per day Urgent work to prevent or respond to accidents or to save perishable goods or crops: no limit (first day) 2 hours (subsequent days)

Compensation for overtime work


Overtime rate(s)

Every hour considered overtime on the terms of the preceeding articles, entitle the worker to the following compensation:

a) 30% increase for the first 6 hours after the legal working time limit;
b) 60% increase for subsequent hours;
c) 100% increase for overtime work performed on weekly rest day.
Order No. 68/11 issuing regulations on hours of work and payment for overtime §21
Historical data (year indicates year of data collection)
  • 2009: 30% increase (first 6 hours) 60% increase (subsequent hours) 100% increase (overtime on weekly rest day)
  • 2007: 30% increase (first 6 hours) 60% increase (subsequent hours) 100% increase (weekly rest day)

Special categories


Women

Every hour of work performed beyond the legal working time limits are considered as overtime work, except:
a) hours performed following a staggering over a period longer than the day or week, as stated in art. 5;
b) hours of presence considered as equivalent to the legal working time limits, as stated in art. 6.

Every hour of work performed as overtime on the terms of the preceeding provision shall entitle the worker to the following compensation:

a) 30% increase for the first 6 hours after the legal working time limit;
b) 60% increase for subsequent hours;
c) 100% increase for overtime work performed on weekly rest day.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §9, 10

REST PERIODS


Daily rest periods

no general provisions on daily rest periods.

Special categories


» Young workers

A minimum of 12 consecutive hours in between two work periods for workers under 18 years of age.
Labour Code §126

» Women

Daily rest period for women must be of at least 12 consecutive hours, preferably from 19h of a day until 07h in the morning.
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §16

Weekly rest periods


Duration


» General

Every worker must enjoy, within the period of 7 days, a weekly rest period of at least 48 consecutive hours.
Labour Code §121(1)
Historical data (year indicates year of data collection)
  • 2009: 2 days
  • 2007: 2 days

Day specified


» General

The weekly rest period shall be agreed between the worker and employer, at the same time for all the staff. It should take place, in principle, saturdays and sundays.
Labour Code §121(2)

Work on weekly rest day


» Criteria

Some professional categories may employed on sundays, conditioned to the fact that they be given a supplementary weekly rest day, of, at least, 24 consecutive hours.

In case of accidents or in the imminence of such, and in cases of force majeure or urgent work to be performed in facilities, but only whenever necessary to avoid a serious damage to the normal functioning of the company, staff may be required to work on their weekly rest period.

In order to avoid losing perishable products or to respond to an extraordinary increase of work, only when the employer cannot do otherwhise, the staff may be required to work on their weekly rest period.

The hours of work performed on the terms of art. 9 above are considered ovewrtime work and shall be paid as such.
Order No. 68/12 on work on the weekly rest day §4, 9, 10(1)
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» Compensation (for working on a rest day)

Every hour considered overtime on the terms of the preceeding articles, entitle the worker to the following compensation:

c) 100% increase for overtime work performed on weekly rest day.

Some professional categories may employed on sundays, conditioned to the fact that they be given a supplementary weekly rest day, of, at least, 24 consecutive hours.
Order No. 68/11 issuing regulations on hours of work and payment for overtime §21
Order No. 68/12 on work on the weekly rest day §4
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Special categories


» Domestic workers

The work of guards and housekeepers is authorized on sundays, as long as they are given, during the week, a supplementary weekly rest period of at least 24 consecutive hours.

Domestic workers can be required to perform work on sundays, as long as they are given a supplementary weekly rest period.
Order No. 68/12 on work on the weekly rest day §7

ANNUAL LEAVE AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS


ANNUAL LEAVE


Duration


» General

The duration of annual leave has to be of at least one day for every month of effective service, for worker over the age of 18. It shall be of at least one and a half day for workers under the age of 18. It shall be increased of one day per month every 5 years of seniority in the same employer or replaced employer.
Labour Code §141(1)
Historical data (year indicates year of data collection)
  • 2009: 12 days (one day per month worked)
  • 2007: 12 days (one day per month worked)

» Exceptions

With seniority, one extra day per month worked.
Labour Code §141

Payment


» Amount

During the annual leave, the worker is entitled to cash benefits equal to that he/she was receiving before taking the leave. The in kind payments the worker was receiving, according to the employment contract, shall be paid, whenever the work requires it, in cash, with the exception of accomodation.
Labour Code §142(1)

» Date of payment

The payment of the annual leave benefits shall be made on the day of the beggining of the leave, or at the latest, on the last working day before the beggining of the leave.
Labour Code §145(1)

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS


Number and dates

Twelve days:

1 January, 4 January, 1 May, 20 May, 24 June, 30 June, 1 August, 14 October, 27 October, 17 November, 24 November, 25 December.
Ordinance No. 79/154 to fix public holidays §4

NIGHT WORK


Criteria for night work

Night work is that performed between 19h and 05h.
Labour Code §124(1)
Order No. 68/14 on night work remuneration §3

Compensation

A compensation shall be paid for the performance of night work, without prejudice to the provisions on overtime work.

10% increased salary for workers in employment that can only take place at night.

30% per cent increase in salary for any night work in an undertaking where work usually takes place both during the day and night (hotel and catering, boarding schools, medical establishments, news agencies, transport, shift-work undertakings, bakeries).
Labour Code §124(2)
Order No. 68/14 on night work remuneration §4, 6

Special categories


Young workers

Children under 18 years of age cannot perform night work.
Labour Code §125
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §27

Disabled workers

Disabled workers cannot perform night work.
Labour Code §125

Women

Women cannot perform night work in industrial sites.

Whenever the work is performed in non-industrial sites, an exception can be made for women to perform night work.
Labour Code §125
Ministerial Decree 68/13, from 17/05/1968, on the work conditions for women and children. §15(1)

SHORT-TIME WORK/WORK-SHARING


General provisions

A short-term employement contract is that which is fixed for a well defined period of time, either to accomplish a specific task or to replace a worker temporarily unavailable.
Labour Code §40(1)

Limits

A short-term employement contract cannot exceed 2 years. This period is to be reduced to one year, if the worker is married and, because of the work, is separated from his family, or, if a widow(er), separated from the body, or divorced, separated from his/her children of whom he/her is in charge of.
Labour Code §41(1)

Results generated on: 19th April 2024 at 21:06:28.
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