The Burkinabe Parliament has unanimously adopted a new Labour Code during a plenary session in Ouagadougou, marking a major step in the country’s labour law reform.
Approved by the 59 parliamentarians present, the new legislation aims to modernise existing labour laws, encourage job creation, improve business productivity and strengthen worker protection.
The session was chaired by Ousmane Bougouma in the presence of the Minister in charge of the civil service, Mathias Traoré, who defended the reform project made up of 10 titles, 30 chapters and 441 articles.
Among the key reforms introduced are the limitation of fixed-term contract renewals to two times with the same employee, stricter regulation of temporary work and equal pay guarantees between temporary and permanent workers with similar qualifications.
The new code also establishes a legal framework for teleworking following technological changes accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Social protection measures have also been strengthened, including raising compensation for unfair dismissal from 18 to 24 months’ salary, extending breastfeeding leave to 15 months and reducing the threshold for establishing workplace health and safety committees from 30 to 25 employees.
The legislation further strengthens the fight against moral and sexual harassment in the workplace while tightening regulations governing foreign labour.
