The State of Eritrea features a breath-taking Red Sea coastline and is located in Eastern Africa. Nine national languages are spoken, including English. Eritrea hosts a robust mining industry. Eritrea’s advantageous access to the Red Sea provides direct access to one of the world’s busiest shipping ports making it an ideal destination for all industries looking to establish a foothold in the African, Asian and European markets.
Employment contracts in Eritrea may be verbal or written but must be in writing if the duration is more than one year. Generally, an employment contract requires two witnesses to the signature. The employment contract must contain the following:
The standard work week in Eritrea is 48 hours a week and eight hours a day for full time employees. Overtime work may not exceed two hours unless there is written consent of the employee. Employees are entitled to at least one day, 24 hours, of rest per week. This is generally a Sunday but can be a different day.
Employees receive six months of sick leave, after completing the probation period. Employees receive full or partial payments for the first two months and no pay in months three to six. Employees may need to provide a medical certificate validating their illness.
Female employees receive 60 consecutive days of fully paid maternity leave. The maternity leave generally starts after the birth, but a portion may be taken prior to the birth. An employer cannot terminate the employment of a woman on maternity leave.
Bonuses are not required but some employers provide performance-based awards.
In addition to public holidays, employees receive 14 days of paid annual leave after one year of service. This increases by one day for each year of service up to 35 working days. Employers are required to pay any accrued but unused days upon separation of service.
Eritrea observes the following public holidays:
Eritrea’s healthcare system is a pay-for-services system. Benefits are not generally provided by the government, so private insurance is recommended. Employers are required to pay for medical expenses for work-related injuries, including first aid, transport to medical facilities, hospital and pharmacy expenses, surgical care, prosthetic and orthopedic care and reasonable funeral expenses.
Termination of an employment contract can occur during the probationary period, at the end of a fixed-term contract, by mutual consent, by the employer (with or without cause) and by the employee. Employers can dismiss employees without providing notice at the end of a fixed-term contract, during the probation period, due to the death of the employee, failure of the employee to perform or for misconduct. Misconduct includes falsifying documents, theft or breach of trust, missing work for five consecutive days or 10 days in one year without justification, disclosure of confidential information or violating the terms of a collective bargaining agreement. The probation period should be defined in the employment contract or collective bargaining agreement but cannot exceed 90 days. Absent cause or a fixed-term contract and outside the probation period, employers must provide notice of termination.
We understand that local laws and regulations change and sourcing an accurate reference guide is not easy. Our data is researched and verified by our team of local international Employment Attorneys, HR and Benefit Professionals and Tax Accountants through our Atlas team and consultants, to ensure information up-to-date and accurate.
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