Pursuant to art. 1 LC, the LC applies to all industrial, commercial and agricultural establishment and their branches, regardless of their nature, whether public or private, religious or secular, with professional or charitable purposes.

The LC applies to all enterprises in the private and public sector (art. 1 LC).
Specific provisions for public servants are contained in Law No. 83-112 of 12 December 1983 and Law No. 85-78 of 5 August 1985. People working at sea are covered by the Code of Maritime Labour promulgated in 1967.
In Tunisia, household employees (domestic workers) do not benefit from the protective provisions of the LC. Their relationship with their employer continues to be subject to the general provisions of civil contract law. (See: F. Mehri: "Tunisia", in R. Blanpain (ed.): International encyclopaedia for labour and industrial relations, (The Hague, Kluwer Law International, 1999), Vol. 12, p. 44.)

Art. 6-4(1) LC: FTCs can be concluded in the following instances:
- undertaking new work;
- extraordinary increase of workload;
- temporary replacement of a permanent worker who is absent for work or whose contract has been suspended;
- implementing urgent safety measures;
- carrying out seasonal work or other similar activities.
However, art. 6-4(2) LC states that FTCs can be concluded in situations other than the ones above-listed, upon agreement between the parties, provided the maximum duration does not exceed 4 years (including renewals).

- Art. 6-4(1) LC: FTCs concluded for valid reasons: no limitation on the number of renewals and on the maximum duration set out by the law.
Art. 6-4(2) LC: FTCs concluded in other cases, upon agreement of the parties: no limitation on the number of renewals provided that the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs does not exceed 4 years.

- Art. 6-4(1) LC: FTCs concluded for valid reasons: no limitation regarding the maximum duration set out by the law.
Art. 6-4(2) LC: FTCs concluded in other cases, upon agreement of the parties: the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs shall not exceed 4 years.

Art. 18 LC provides that in every contract of employment, the duration of the probationary period is governed by collective or individual agreement, by custom or by the law.
The LC does not set out any maximum or minimum duration for the probationary period.
However, the duration of the probationary period is regulated by the Collective Framework Agreement (as amended). Art. 10 of the CFA stipulates that such trial period shall be:
- 6 months for workers ("agents d'exécution")
- 9 months for first line supervisors ("agents de maîtrise")
- 1 year for executives.
The trial period can be renewed once.

[2 years = probationary period for executives (1 year) renewed once]

- Art. 166 LC: specifical procedural rules apply to the dismissal of a workers' representative or a trade union representative.
In order to dismiss those workers, the employer must follow a specific procedure (i.e. submitting the dismissal to the decision of the competent labour inspector and complying with his or her decision), except when the existence of a real and serious reason justifying dismissal is proved by a court which entertains jurisdiction (art. 166 LC and 169bis LC added by the Act No. 2007-19).
- Art. 20(2) LC: An employer may not dismiss a woman on the grounds that she has suspended her work during the period before and after her confinement. If she is dismissed, the employer is liable to pay damages provided that she informed her employer of the reason for her absence. Notice of dismissal is prohibited up to a maximum of 12 weeks after maternity leave if the woman produces a medical certificate that she is incapable of returning to work because of an illness arising out of her pregnancy or confinement.
-Art. 19 LC: performing military duties cannot be a cause of termination of employment.

- Art. 166 LC: specific procedural rules apply to the dismissal of a workers' representative or a trade union representative: the employer must submit the dismissal to the decision of the competent labour inspector and complying with his or her decision except when the existence of a real and serious reason justifying dismissal is proved by a court which entertains jurisdiction (art. 166 LC and 169bis LC added by the Act No. 2007-19).
- Art. 20(2) LC: An employer may not dismiss a woman on the grounds that she has suspended her work during the period before and after her confinement. If she is dismissed, the employer is liable to pay damages provided that she informed her employer of the reason for her absence. Notice of dismissal is prohibited up to a maximum of 12 weeks after maternity leave if the woman produces a medical certificate that she is incapable of returning to work because of an illness arising out of her pregnancy or confinement.
-Art. 19 LC: performing military duties cannot be a cause of termination of employment.

Art. 14bis LC.

Employers and employees are required to give one month's notice in writing. If there are provisions which result from a contractual or collective agreement, general practice or vested rights that require a longer period of notice, these provisions are applied (art. 14bis LC). For example, the period of notice for journalists (art. 398 LC) and commercial travellers and sales representatives (art. 410 LC) varies between one and three months.

Art. 21 LC.

- In Tunisia, every employer who contemplates a collective dismissal shall first notify the matter to the labour inspectorate which will attempt conciliation between the parties (art. 21-3 LC).
- If conciliation is unsuccessful, the labour inspectorate transmits the file to the Commission for the Supervision of Dismissals (commission de contrôle des licenciements) composed of a trade union and an employers' association representatives and chaired by the chief of the territorial labour inspectorate (art. 21-5 LC).
The Commission issues an advisory opinion in which it expresses its views on whether it agrees with or rejects the intended dismissal and can make proposals for alternative solutions, such as redeployment programmes for employees, re-orientation of the company's activity towards new products, temporary suspension of all or part of the activity, revisions of conditions of work (e.g. reduction of working time) or early retirement (art. 21-9 LC).
When the Commission is not consulted on the dismissals, except in cases of agreement between the parties or force majeure, these dismissals are unlawful (art. 21-12 LC).

- In Tunisia, every employer who contemplates a collective dismissal shall first notify the matter to the labour inspectoratewhich will attempt conciliation between the parties (sec. 21, LC).
- If conciliation is unsuccessful, the labour inspectorate transmits the file to the Commission for the Supervision of Dismissals (commission de contrôle des licenciements) composed of a trade union and an employers' association representatives and chaired by the chief of the territorial labour inspectorate (art. 21-5 LC).
The Commission issues an advisory opinion in which it expresses its views on whether it agrees with or rejects the intended dismissal and can make proposals for alternative solutions, such as redeployment programmes for employees, re-orientation of the company's activity towards new products, temporary suspension of all or part of the activity, revisions of conditions of work (e.g. reduction of working time) or early retirement (art. 21-9 LC).
When the Commission is not consulted on the dismissals, except in cases of agreement between the parties or force majeure, these dismissals are unlawful (art. 21-12 LC).

The Commission for the Supervision of Dismissals (commission de contrôle des licenciements) is composed of a trade union and an employers' association representatives and chaired by the chief of the territorial labour inspectorate (art. 21-5 LC).
The Commission issues an advisory opinion in which it expresses its views on whether it agrees with or rejects the intended dismissal and can make proposals for alternative solutions, such as redeployment programmes for employees, re-orientation of the company's activity towards new products, temporary suspension of all or part of the activity, revisions of conditions of work (e.g. reduction of working time) or early retirement (art. 21-9 LC).
When the Commission is not consulted on the dismissals, except in cases of agreement between the parties or force majeure, these dismissals are unlawful (art. 21-12 LC).

- In Tunisia, every employer who contemplates a collective dismissal shall first notify the matter to the labour inspectorate which will attempt conciliation between the parties (art. 21-3 LC).
- If conciliation is unsuccessful, the labour inspectorate transmits the file to the Commission for the Supervision of Dismissals (commission de contrôle des licenciements) composed of a trade union and an employers' association representatives and chaired by the chief of the territorial labour inspectorate (art. 21-5 LC).
The Commission issues an advisory opinion in which it expresses its views on whether it agrees with or rejects the intended dismissal and can make proposals for alternative solutions, such as redeployment programmes for employees, re-orientation of the company's activity towards new products, temporary suspension of all or part of the activity, revisions of conditions of work (e.g. reduction of working time) or early retirement (art. 21-9 LC).
When the Commission is not consulted on the dismissals, except in cases of agreement between the parties or force majeure, these dismissals are unlawful (art- 21-12 LC).
However the employer is not bound by the opinion of the Commission and can carry out an economic dismissal even in the event of a negative opinion.
See: MZID, Nouri, "Droit du travail, entreprise et flexibilité de l'emploi", Novembre 2009, p. 12.

Art. 21-9 LC: As regards the reduction in personnel for economic reasons, the Commission shall take into account the worker's professional qualification, his/her family status and the length of service in the company.
(See also art. 17 CFA)
Note also that according to art. 166 bis LC (added by Act n° 2001-19), in the event of an economic dismissal, workers' representatives and trade union representatives have priority to retain their jobs.

Workers who are dismissed for economic reasons are given priority in re-hiring (with the same wages as prior to the dismissal), if the enterprise decides to re-hire workers with the same professional skills. This right can be exercised within one year. The order for re-hiring workers is determined according to the worker's seniority (art. 21-13 LC).

The commission for the supervision of dismissals (commission de contrôle des licenciements) can make proposals for alternative solutions, such as redeployment programmes for employees, re-orientation of the company's activity towards new products, temporary suspension of all or part of the activity, revisions of conditions of work (e.g. reduction of working time) or early retirement (art. 21-9 LC).

Except for serious misconduct, every employee bound by a contract of employment for an indefinite term and dismissed after the expiration of the probationary period is entitled to receive a severance allowance, calculated on the basis of one day's salary (which is paid at the moment of the dismissal) for each month of effective service in the same enterprise (art. 22 LC).
Severance pay cannot exceed three months' salary, whatever the duration of effective service has been. However, collective agreements can raise the amount of compensation.

Severance pay covers dismissals for economic reasons (no specific redundancy payment): art. 22 LC.

Severance pay covers dismissals for economic reasons (no specific redundancy payment): art. 22 LC.

See art. 23bis LC.

A worker who is unfairly dismissed cannot claim to be reinstated into the enterprise. Compensation is the only remedy for unfair dismissal (art. 23 LC).

Preliminary mandatory conciliation before the Labour Court (Conseil de prud'hommes): art. 207 LC.

A specialized labour court (Conseil de prud¿hommes) which is of tripartite composition has jurisdiction over individual labour disputes. Appeals against its decisions are heard by the ordinary Courts of Appeal (arts. 183 and 221 LC).