COUNTRY

Employment contracts in Burkina Faso may be verbal or written, but best practice is to execute a written contract in the local language. Employment contracts should include:

• address of the employee and employer,

• salary,

• payment method (check, bank transfer),

• payment duration,

• benefits,

• sick leave days,

• probation period (if applicable),

• working hours,

• date of commencement (and end date if applicable), and

• time of notice period.

Standard hours in Burkina Faso vary by industry, but a 40-hour workweek is common. Individual employment contracts or collective agreements typically define work hours and days, including provisions related to overtime. Special rules and limitations apply to young workers.

Employees are entitled to sick leave in Burkina Faso. Employees are entitled to payment while on sick leave based on years of service:

• less than one year of service, two months,

• one to five years of service, four months,

• six to 10 years of service, five months,

• 11 to 15 years of service, six months, and

• more than 15 years of service, eight months.

Female employees in Burkina Faso receive 14 weeks of fully paid maternity leave after three months of employment, which begins as early as eight weeks before but no later than four weeks before the expected due date. The leave can be extended by three additional weeks if there are complications during the birth, or any other health-related problems. Eligible female employees receive 100% of their gross covered earnings while on maternity leave through Burkina Faso’s social security program, as well as a family allowance. Male employees receive a three-day paid paternity leave without requiring notice for the birth of a child. He is also entitled to a six-month unpaid leave in the case of a sick child, which requires one month’s notice and can be extended to a maximum of one year.

Employers are not required to pay employees bonuses in Burkina Faso but may elect to do so as part of their compensation package. Employers in Burkina Faso commonly pay bonuses employees at the end of the year.

An employee is entitled to 22 days of paid leave in Burkina Faso after one year of service, which does not include personal days, sick leave, or maternity leave. This leave increases by two days after 20 years of service, four days after 25 years and six days after 30 years of service. The employer and employee must agree on the start date for the leave, which cannot be delayed for more than three months. However, this leave can be split by the agreement of the parties provided that a part of this split must be at least 15 consecutive days. The employer must pay the employee for the entire duration of the leave before it begins.

In Burkina Faso, the public holidays are:

• New Year

• Burkina Faso Popular Uprising Day

• International Women's Day

• Easter Monday

• Labor Day

• Eid al-Fitr

• Ascension Day

• Eid al-Adha

• National Day

• Assumption of Mary

• The Prophet's Birthday

• All Saints

• Proclamation of Independence Day

• Christmas Day

Burkina Faso offers universal healthcare. Although private health insurance is not widely used, employers may offer private healthcare insurance as an employee benefit. Employers and employees typically share the cost of health insurance premiums.

An employment contract may be terminated in Burkina Faso by either the employer or the employee for misconduct, social, or economic reasons. Initiating termination requires a written notice period of eight days for part-time definite contracts, one month for full-time regular employees, and three months for managers, supervisors, and technicians. No termination notice is required during the probation period, or in the event of a serious fault on the part of the employee. An employee is entitled to severance pay after one year of continuous service, unless the employee is dismissed for misconduct.