Angola: Significant changes to labor law

Employer Action Code: Act

Angola’s New General Labor Law (NGLL), which replaces the 2015 labor law and takes effect on March 26, 2024, introduces a variety of changes affecting employment contracts, leaves, work hours and employee protections, among other things. The labor law enacted in 2015 replaced the previous labor law (enacted in 2000).

Key details

Notable aspects of the NGLL include:

• For new and renewed employment contracts, a fixed-term contract may only be used in specific situations set out in the NGLL, such as for replacing an employee on leave or meeting a temporary exceptional increase in business activity. A valid reason for the fixed-term nature of the employment contract must be included in writing in the contract; otherwise, it will be deemed to be for an indefinite term. The maximum trial period for a fixed-term contract is reduced from 60 to 30 days.
• The NGLL introduces a new type of employment contract for teleworkers who work from home, a satellite office, a community work center or other remote locations. Teleworkers generally have the same rights and duties as other workers. The employer must respect the worker's privacy, in effect guaranteeing the employee’s right to “disconnect” from work.
• Employees with children under age five and those caring for disabled or chronically ill children or dependent parents have the right to flexible working hours. The employee may choose, subject to certain restrictions, the start and end times of his or her daily work.
• The NGLL retains the core maternity leave entitlement of three months (employer-paid, reimbursed by social security) and introduces up to 180 days of “pre-maternity” leave (also employer-paid, reimbursed by social security) for high-risk pregnancies. In addition, mothers may take up to four weeks of unpaid leave after maternity leave ends. Likewise, fathers are entitled to unpaid paternity leave of seven workdays (in addition to the preexisting one day of paid leave).
• Female employees are no longer entitled to an additional day of paid annual leave for each child under age 14.
• Employees unable to work due to illness or accident or due to the provision of urgent necessary assistance to a household member in the event of illness or accident are entitled to six months of employer-paid leave (previously, two months of employer-paid sick leave), reimbursable by social security.
• The NGLL has eliminated provisions under the prior labor law that linked certain entitlements — such as compensation for shift, night, on-call and overtime work as well as paid sick leave and severance — to employer size (based on head count). The minimum compensation now payable by all employers is 120% of base salary for shift, night and on-call work; 150% for the first 30 overtime hours in a month; and 175% for additional overtime. Likewise, the amount of severance payable as a result of individual or collective redundancies is no longer based on the size of the employer but solely on the employee’s base salary and years of service. All employees made redundant are now entitled to one month’s pay per year of service for each of the first five years plus 50% of monthly pay per additional year of service. 
• The threshold number for redundancies to be considered a collective dismissal (and so subject to associated notification and consultation requirements) is reduced to five (from 20).

Employer implications

Employers should review the various changes to ensure compliance.

Contact

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Michael Brough

Senior Director, Integrated & Global Solutions

email Email phone +971 50 189 5816

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