Labor law in Central African Republic

The main legal framework is Loi N°09.004 Code du Travail, adopted on 29 January 2009 and published in the Journal officiel de la République centrafricaine on 7 September 2010. It applies to dependent work carried out in the Central African Republic, including work for state-owned or mixed enterprises and public offices. Magistrates, civil servants, military personnel, the Republican Guard and self-employed workers fall outside this Code. The National Assembly adopted a new Labour Code on 15 May 2025, but the available research found no promulgation evidence through December 2025 or later in the reviewed sources; the 2009 Code therefore remains the working legal reference until a new code enters into force. The rules are matters of public order, and more favourable acquired benefits remain protected. Equal treatment and equal pay for equal work apply. Discrimination based on political, religious or trade-union opinion, forced labour and other prohibited forms of unequal treatment are not allowed. The Central African Republic has also ratified ILO Conventions C029, C087, C098, C100, C105, C111, C138, C155 and C182. An employment contract should record eight required particulars and is best made in writing. If no written contract exists, the relationship is treated as an indefinite-term contract, with the employment binding from the date of hiring. Fixed-term and indefinite-term contracts are permitted. A fixed-term contract must state an exact end date; renewals have no fixed numerical limit but the total duration may not exceed two years. A term without a precise end date is allowed only for replacing an absent worker, seasonal work or unusually increased work. A fixed-term renewal must be written, and a contract exceeding two years or lacking an exact end date becomes an indefinite-term contract. Probation must also be agreed in writing, with initial limits ranging from eight days for hourly, daily, weekly or fortnightly pay to one month for monthly-paid workers, two months for supervisors and equivalent staff, and three months for managers. A probation period may be renewed once for the same duration, up to six months for managers. A foreign worker needs a contract or hiring letter bearing the visa of the Minister responsible for employment. Employers must report a new hire to the public employment body and social security within 72 hours. They must keep an employer register, an employee file and a work card. A disciplinary monetary deduction is not permitted. Public employment services are free, while private placement offices require ministerial authorisation. Normal working time is limited to 40 hours per week outside agriculture and 48 hours per week in agriculture. Overtime attracts a wage supplement. Night work runs from 22:00 to 05:00. Workers under 18 must receive at least 12 consecutive hours of night rest. Weekly rest is generally on Sunday, subject to rotation or special rules. Annual leave accrues at two working days per month of effective work, up to 30 working days per year, and can generally be taken after one year of service; the claim expires after two years. Illness, workplace accidents and maternity can suspend the contract under the Code's conditions. Pay includes cash and benefits in kind. Equal work requires equal pay. Applicable wage scales and the SMIG or SMAG minimum thresholds are set through labour-ministerial rules after consultation with the Conseil National Permanent du Travail, but the available primary research did not establish a reliable current numerical amount. Wages must be paid in the legal currency; payment in alcohol is prohibited and payment in kind is generally prohibited. Pay is due at least every 15 days for daily- or weekly-paid workers and every 30 days for monthly- or fortnightly-paid workers. Monthly wages must be paid no later than five days after the end of the month, and wage claims generally expire after five years. Maternity protection covers 14 weeks, normally six weeks before and eight weeks after birth, with a possible three-week extension. The Code provides free care and 50 percent of pay during those 14 weeks, a breastfeeding break of up to one hour per working day for 15 months after return, and protection against dismissal. Dismissal based on HIV status is void, and disability discrimination is prohibited. Employers must provide occupational safety measures and medical and sanitary services. Workplace accidents and occupational diseases are governed by special legislation. The Inspection du Travail et des Lois sociales may issue a written mise en demeure with a compliance period from four days to one month, or require immediate action where danger exists. The minimum working age is 14, subject to a ministerial exception after consultation with the Conseil National Permanent du Travail. Slavery, trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour, involvement in armed conflict, sexual exploitation, drug-related work and work endangering health, safety or morals are prohibited for children. Workers may form and join trade unions. A legally resident foreign worker may join a union; holding a union office additionally requires two years of residence and reciprocity. Délégués du personnel are required from 11 covered workers and have election, complaint and consultation functions, including 15 paid hours per month for their duties. Dismissal of a worker representative requires prior authorisation from the Labour Inspectorate. Collective agreements and workplace agreements are possible, and the Conseil National Permanent du Travail provides tripartite consultation and social dialogue. An individual employment dispute must first be submitted in writing to the competent Inspection du Travail. Conciliation is mandatory and may last no more than two months from the first meeting. If it fails, the inspection prepares a procès-verbal and the dispute may proceed to the Tribunal du Travail. Jurisdiction normally lies where the work is performed, with alternatives after the contract ends at the place of hiring or the employer's domicile in the Central African Republic. The Tribunal du Travail includes a magistrate and two employer and two worker assessors, with appeal to the Cour d'Appel. Collective disputes go to the Inspection immediately; conciliation is followed by arbitration, and an arbitration decision should be issued within 15 days. A settlement or award can be enforced. An indefinite-term contract may end through dismissal, resignation, automatic termination, retirement or death. Notice is generally written. Economic grounds include reorganisation, workforce reduction and cessation of activity; personal grounds include physical or professional incapacity and misconduct. An unjustified or procedurally defective dismissal, or one based on union activity, opinion or a complaint, may be abusive and lead to court-ordered damages. Unless a collective agreement provides otherwise, notice ranges from eight days for hourly, daily, weekly or fortnightly pay to one month for monthly pay, two months for supervisors and three months for managers. The employer owes replacement pay when notice is not worked. Final wages and compensation are due immediately or within five days. The Code does not provide one general statutory severance amount; a collective agreement, individual contract or sectoral rule may create an entitlement. Collective dismissal requires consultation with worker or union representatives and the Inspector, examination of alternatives and negotiations lasting no more than 30 days. Selection should first consider professional skills, then seniority and family responsibilities. A strike requires prior notice and exhaustion of conciliation or arbitration, and some enterprises must maintain a minimum service. A lawful strike does not end the employment contract, while discrimination against strikers is prohibited; an unlawful strike does not preserve wages. A lockout is limited to a security imperative or the impossibility of performing the contract and requires eight working days' notice and notification to the Inspection du Travail. The formal framework has high relevance for registered employers and dependent workers. Work outside formal registration is widespread, and research on Bangui and Berberati has identified businesses not registered with GUFE; the ILO has described an economy dominated by informal work, including about 91 percent of informal youth jobs. No separate formal labour-law regime for informal work was established in the available research. This creates practical access and enforcement gaps, but it does not replace the legal standards with an invented informal-sector code. The Inspection du Travail et des Lois sociales, Inspection Médicale du Travail, public employment body, GUFE, Conseil National Permanent du Travail, Tribunal du Travail, Cour d'Appel and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Social Protection and Vocational Training are the principal bodies for the relevant procedures.