Hiring and Employment Contracts |
Employers were required to provide a fully executed employment contract within one (1) month of the employee’s start date. |
The requirement remains the same, but a fine up to level 3 on the Standard Fines Scale is now introduced for non-compliance. |
No explicit penalties for misleading job candidates. |
Employers can now be fined for misleading job candidates about wages, job duties, or working conditions. |
Probationary Period |
Employees on probation were not entitled to sick leave. |
Employees on probation can now take sick leave, but without sick pay. |
Termination during probation required at least one (1) weeks’ notice. |
The same requirement applies, but the right to repatriation flights after termination is now explicitly stated. |
Part-Time and Remote Employees |
No clear provisions on remote work or equipment requirements. |
Employers must provide necessary equipment for remote employees, unless agreed otherwise. |
No explicit rules on pro-rata benefits for part-time employees. |
Pro-rata benefits for part-time employees are now clearly defined, with leave entitlements adjusted based on the number of working days per week. |
Wage Protection & Payment Timelines |
Employers were required to pay wages within seven (7) days of the end of the pay period. |
Employers must now pay wages within fourteen (14) days of the end of the pay period. |
No specific penalties for delayed final wage payments. |
Employers must now pay all final wages within twenty-one (21) days of termination, or they face a penalty equal to the employee’s daily wage for each day of delay, capped at six (6) months. |
Maternity & Paternity Benefits |
Maternity leave was sixty-five (65) days but applied only to biological mothers and adoptive mothers of children under three (3) months. |
Maternity leave remains sixty-five (65) days, but now explicitly includes adoptive mothers of children under five (5) years old. |
No specific provisions for stillbirths or late miscarriages. |
Now explicitly covers mothers of stillborn babies or those who experience a miscarriage after twenty-five (25) weeks. |
No specific provisions for termination during maternity leave. |
Now explicitly states that employers must now pay full maternity pay even if terminating an employee during maternity leave, unless termination is for cause. |
Paternity leave was five (5) days, but adoptive fathers were not explicitly mentioned. |
Paternity leave remains five (5) days, but now explicitly includes adoptive fathers. |
No additional nursing break entitlements. |
Employees returning from maternity leave can now take one (1) hour nursing breaks daily for nine (9) months after childbirth. |
Termination & Notice Periods |
End of service gratuity was capped at two (2) years’ pay. |
The two (2) years’ cap has been fully removed. |
Employers were required to provide a written statement of reasons for termination, but there was no strict deadline and no penalty for non-compliance. |
Employers must now provide a written statement of reasons for termination upon an employee’s request, within twenty-one (21) days. |
Employers were required to pay all wages and other amounts owed within fourteen (14) days of the termination date, and no explicit penalty was implemented. |
Employers must now pay all wages and other amounts owed within twenty-one (21) days of the termination date. If an employer fails to comply, they must pay a penalty equal to the employee’s daily wage for each day of delay, capped at six (6) months. |
Notice periods: - Seven (7) days for employees with less than three (3) months of service. - Thirty (30) days for employees with more than three (3) months of service. |
Notice periods remain the same, but a penalty for non-compliance was introduced, requiring employers to compensate employees for any wages and benefits they would have received during the outstanding notice period. |
Employer Responsibilities & Liabilities |
Employers were responsible for ensuring a non-discriminatory workplace, but liability was not explicitly defined. |
Employers are now vicariously liable for discrimination, harassment, and victimization by their employees, unless they can prove that they took all reasonable steps to prevent such behaviour. |
