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Somalia

Working Hours and Overtime Regulations

Understand the laws governing work hours and overtime in Somalia

Standard working hours

In Somalia, there is no codified national labor law. However, standard working hours are governed by established guidelines. These guidelines are enforced through ministerial decrees issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

The standard work week in Somalia is 48 hours, spread over six days. This translates to eight hours per day for six days a week.

Overtime

In Somalia, labor regulations provide guidelines for overtime work, even though a national labor code is not yet fully established. These guidelines are implemented through ministerial pronouncements issued by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Somali legislation restricts overtime work to a maximum of 2 hours per day and 12 hours per week. Employers are legally required to compensate employees for overtime work. The mandated overtime pay rate is 150% of the normal wage.

Rest periods and breaks

In Somalia, there is a lack of federally recognized, comprehensive labor law. However, Somaliland, a self-declared state in northern Somalia, has established its own legislation regarding worker entitlements.

For private sector employees in Somaliland, the primary legal document governing rest periods and breaks is the Private Sector Employees' Law (Law No. 31/2004, as amended 2010). Unfortunately, an official English translation isn't publicly available.

Night shift and weekend regulations

In Somalia, there is no national legislation governing night shift and weekend work. However, some insights can be gleaned from the regional legislation of Somaliland.

In Somaliland, the Private Sector Employees' Law (Law No. 31/2004, as amended 2010) briefly addresses night shift work. Article 41 of the law reportedly discusses night shift allowances, suggesting a recognition of night shift work. However, there is no official English translation available for this law.

The law does not mention specific regulations regarding working hours or limitations on night shifts. Furthermore, there are no weekend work regulations in the available resources on Somaliland's Private Sector Employees' Law. This suggests that the regulation of night shift and weekend work is largely unaddressed in this region.

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