No reasons listed in the LC (see art. 14(2) LC).

The LC does not provide for a maximum number of renewals. The only rules regarding renewals are contained in art. 14(2) LC. This provision provides that the term of the contract is one year and can be extended by mutual agreement. However, if after the expiry of the contract, the parties take no action within 1 month, the contract will be considered renewed with the same terms and conditions.

The LC provides for a maximum duration of one FTC: 1 year, however there is no limitation on the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs (art. 14(2) LC).

Art. 12 LRA.
See also Articles 25 to 35 of the CFA.
________________
Art.12.- (Ordonnance n°96-21) Le contrat de travail peut être conclu pour une durée déterminée, à temps plein ou partiel, dans les cas expressément prévus ci-après :
• lorsque le travailleur est recruté pour l’exécution d’un contrat lié à des contrats de travaux ou de prestation non renouvelables ;
• lorsqu’il s’agit de remplacer le titulaire d’un poste qui s’absente temporairement et au profit duquel l’employeur est tenu de conserver le poste de travail ;
• lorsqu’il s’agit pour l’organisme employeur d’effectuer des travaux périodiques à caractère discontinu ;
• lorsqu’un surcroît de travail, ou lorsque des motifs saisonniers le justifient ;
• lorsqu’il s’agit d’activités ou d’emplois à durée limitée ou qui sont par nature temporaires.
Dans l’ensemble de ces cas, le contrat de travail précisera la durée de la relation de travail ainsi que les motifs de la durée arrêtée.

A FTC can only be concluded in limited instances provided in art. 12 LRA (i.e temporary replacement of a worker, performance of casual tasks of a discontinuous nature, seasonal work or cases of a temporary increase on workload, performing work for a limited time of that is temporary in nature).

No limitation in the legislation.
However, for workers covered by the Collective Framework Agreement, the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs is 36 months.(art. 26 CFA)
___________________________
Pas de limites inscrites dans la LRA. Toutefois, l'article 26 de la Convention collective cadre du secteur u00e9conomique privu00e9 (2006), dispose que "Le contrat de travail u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e ne peut avoir pour effet de pourvoir u00e0 un emploi liu00e9 u00e0 lu2019activitu00e9 normale et permanente de lu2019entreprise. Il est conclu et renouvelu00e9 dans la limite du2019une duru00e9e maximale de trente six (36) mois."

Art. 16 GLA: the parties can conclude employment contracts for an indefinite term or for a fixed term, according to the nature of the activity, the economic capacity of the business and the tasks assigned to the worker.

Renewals of FTCs are allowed provided that the maximum cumulative duration does not exceed the general statutory limit of 5 years (art. 17 GLA). As an exception, for small and micro enterprises the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs is 10 years (art. 17(2) GLA).
Paragraph 4 of article 17 GLA also provides that in case of contracts of 3 or more months, the party that does not have the interest of renovating the contract must give a previous notice of 15 days.

No provision on valid reasons for the use of FTC in the legislation reviewed.

No provision limiting the use of FTC in the legislation reviewed.

No provision limiting the use of FTC in the legislation reviewed.

In Argentina, there is a legal preference for contracts of unspecified duration or "indeterminate contracts" (art. 90 LCL) and where doubt exists as to the terms and conditions governing a contract of employment, it will be presumed to be an indeterminate contract (art. 27 NEL). The employer is in charge of providing evidence that a contract is a fixed-term contract (art. 92 LCL).

Fixed-term contracts are employment contracts for specified periods of time where the contract duration is expressly written into the contract (art. 90(a) LCL) and contracts concluded for specific tasks that justify the use of a fixed term contract (art. 90(b) LCL).

The Law does not stipulate limitations as to the reasons for concluding fixed-term contracts. However, there is a limitation as to the maximum duration of the employment relationship (5 years, art. 93 LCL).

No limitation on the number of successive fixed-term contracts, as long as the total duration of the employment relationship does not exceed 5 years (art. 93 LCL).

The formalization of successive fixed-term contracts exceeding what is foreseen in art. 90(b)LCL (nature of the task) turns the contract into a contract of indefinite duration (Art. 90 LCL).

Art. 93 LCL

Art. 95 LC regulates fixed-term contracts of employment (Article 95 amended by HO-117-N of 24.06.10, LA-96-N dated 22.06.15)
Art. 101 LC provides the possibility to conclude a contract of employment of up to 2-month duration (temporary employment contracts)

Art. 95 LC

No statutory limitation. Subject to courts' findings.

No statutory limitation. Subject to courts' findings.

No specific reason required for resorting to a FTC for the first time.
See however OECD employment protection legislation database, Austria, 2013: "a succession of FTC will automatically result in an open-ended employment contract of indeterminate length unless objective and material reasons can be shown to justify the need to renew a fixed-term contract", (available at www.oecd.org/els/emp/oecdindicatorsofemploymentprotection.htm).

Subject to courts' ruling on the lawfulness of chain contracts.
Courts consider successive FTCs only as lawful if there are specific social or economic reasons justifying it. Unlawful successive FTCs would result in a work contract of undetermined duration.

Subject to courts' ruling on the lawfulness of chain contracts.

Art. 45 and 47 LC

Art. 45 LC

The LA does not regulate the use of fixed-term contracts but instead distinguishes between apprentices, badlis, casual workers, probationers, permanent and temporary workers
A badli (= transfer worker) is a worker who is employed during the absence of a permanent worker or of a probationer worker.
A casual worker is a worker employed on ad-hoc basis in an establishment for work of a casual nature.
A temporary worker is a worker who is employed to perform work which is essentially of temporary nature, and is likely to be finished within a limited period.
A probationer is a worker who is provisionally employed in an establishment to fill a permanent vacancy in a post and has not completed the period of his probation in the establishment.
A permanent worker is a worker employed in an establishment on a permanent basis or who has satisfactory completed the period of his probation in the establishment (sec. 4 LA).
[From the above-mentioned definition, we can infer that reasons connected to the temporary nature of the work shall be present in order to hire a badli or a temporary worker and therefore such workers cannot be hired to perform work of a permanent nature].

Art. 10 ECA
However, the employer will be requested to prove that he has objective and material reasons for issuing a FTC only when FTC have been concluded successively without any interruption imputable to the worker.

Art. 10 bis (2) ECA

According to Art. 7 of the Collective Agreement Nu00b0 108 , 2013, temporary working contracts for workers who replace other workers, which have been terminated, can only be issued for 6 months, with the possibility to renew the contract for another 6 months. According to Art. 5 and 6 of the said agreement, temporary employment of workers to meet production peaks or to execute special tasks can only be issued for 1 month (3 months for special tasks). Renewals are possible but they have to be justified separately for each renewal and have to be registered with the public authorities.

See: CONVENTION COLLECTIVE DE TRAVAIL Nu00b0 108 DU 16 JUILLET 2013 RELATIVE AU TRAVAIL TEMPORAIRE ET AU TRAVAIL INTu00c9RIMAIRE

Section I - Remplacement temporaire du2019un travailleur dont le contrat de travail a pris fin

Article 7
Paragraph 1 En cas de remplacement temporaire d'un travailleur dont le contrat de travail a pris fin par congu00e9 donnu00e9 avec pru00e9avis et lorsque ce remplacement s'effectue par le biais du travail intu00e9rimaire, la duru00e9e du remplacement est limitu00e9e u00e0 une pu00e9riode de six mois prenant cours u00e0 la fin du contrat. Une prolongation d'une duru00e9e de six mois est possible.

Paragraph 2. En cas de remplacement temporaire d'un travailleur dont le contrat de travail a pris fin par congu00e9 pour motif grave et lorsque ce remplacement s'effectue par le biais du travail intu00e9rimaire, la duru00e9e du remplacement est limitu00e9e u00e0 une pu00e9riode de six mois prenant cours u00e0 la fin du contrat. Une prolongation d'une duru00e9e de six mois est possible.

Paragraph 3. En cas de remplacement temporaire d'un travailleur dont le contrat de travail a pris fin autrement que par congu00e9 donnu00e9 avec pru00e9avis ou par congu00e9 pour motif grave et lorsque ce remplacement s'effectue par le biais du travail intu00e9rimaire, la duru00e9e du remplacement est limitu00e9e u00e0 une pu00e9riode de six mois prenant
cours u00e0 la fin du contrat. Des prolongations d'une duru00e9e totale maximale de six mois sont toutefois possibles.

Paragraph 4. Les dispositions de cette section ne s'appliquent pas au travail intu00e9rimaire pour les entreprises qui ressortissent u00e0 la Commission paritaire nu00b0 124 de la construction.

Fixed term contracts are regulated with the Law Decree Nº 16187 of 1979

Art. 2 of Law Decree No 16187: FTC are not allowed for permanent tasks or for those that are characteristic of the business.

See also: Resoluciu00f3n Ministerial 283/62 of 13 June 1962 according to which the contract should, by default, be considered as a contract of undefinite duration, unless the nature of the task, work or service, justifies the conclusion of a FTC.

See also the principle of "labour stability" established under Article 11 of Supreme Decree No. 28699, of 1st May 2006.

Art. 2 of the Law Decree No 16187

Resoluciu00f3n Ministerial No 283/62 del 13 de junio de 1962

Sec. 17 (1) of the EA: A contract of employment for a specified piece of work, without reference to time, or for a specified period of time shall, unless otherwise lawfully terminated, terminate when the work specified in the contract is completed or the period of time for which the contract was made expires.
In addition, sec. 2(2.1.1) of the Code of Good Practice on Termination of Employment provides that a fixed term contract may be for a specified period or may be determine by specified event. A fixed term contract normally terminates automatically on the expiry of the period.

No statutory limitation.

No maximum number specified in the legislation. However, under the Code of Good Practice, an employer who fails to renew a fixed-term contract, when a reasonable expectation that it will be renewed is held by the employee, is deemed to have dismissed the employee.

No statutory limitation.

Art. 443 CLC: A contract for a specified period is a contract in which duration is fixed in advance or which depends upon the performance of specified services or on the occurrence of a particular event, the approximate date of which can be foreseen. Contracts for a specified period are valid only if they govern services whose nature or transitional character justifies the fixing of their duration in advance, transitional activities carried out by the undertaking, and contracts of a probationary nature.

Art. 451 CLL: If a FTC is tacitly or expressly renewed more than once, it shall be deemed to be a contract for an unspecified period.

Art. 445 CLL.

Fixed Term Contracts are regulated in the Art. 68 LC which states the following:
(1) An employment contract for a fixed term shall be concluded:
1. for a definite period which shall not be longer than 3 years, insofar as a law or an act of the Council of Ministers do not provide otherwise;
2. until completion of some specified work;
3. for substitution for an employee who is absent from work;
4. for working at a job which is to be taken through a competitive examination, for the time until it is taken on the basis of the competitive examination.
5. (New SG, No.25/2001) for a certain mandate, where such has been specified for the respective body.

(2) (New SG, No. 48/2006) Employees with a temporary contract under par. 1 have the same rights and obligations as employees under an employment contract for an indefinite time. They can not be put in a disadvantage only because time-sensitive nature of their employment compared to employees under an employment contract for an indefinite time, performing the same or similar work in the enterprise, unless the law sets the benefit of some rights depending on the qualification or skills acquired. Employees on fixed-term contracts can not be placed in a less favorable position compared to other employees who work on contract for an indefinite time.
(3) (New SG No. 48/2006) Fixed term employment contract pursuant to paragraph (1), sub-paragraph 1 shall be concluded for execution of temporary, seasonal or short-term works and activities, as well as with newly hired employees in enterprises that have been declared bankrupt or in liquidation.
(4) (New SG No. 48/2006) As an exception, a fixed term employment contract pursuant to paragraph (1), subparagraph 1 may be concluded for a period of not less than one year and for works and activities that are not of temporary, seasonal or short-term nature. Such an employment contract may also be concluded for a shorter period upon request in writing by the employee. In such cases the fixed term employment contract under paragraph (1), sub-paragraph 1 may be repeatedly concluded with the same employee for the same type of work only once for a period of at least one year.
(5) (New SG No. 48/2006) An employment contract under paragraph (1), sub-paragraph 1, concluded in violation of paragraphs (3) and (4), shall be deemed concluded for an indefinite period of time.
(6) (SG No. 7/2012) Fixed term contract for a long-term mission may be concluded for a position designated for posting in the foreign representation of the Republic of Bulgaria abroad under the Foreign Service.
(7) (SG No. 48/2006, SG No. 7/2012) An employer shall provide timely written information to employees on fixed term contracts about job locations and positions that can be filled by contract for an indefinite time, in order to provide them with the opportunity for permanent employment. Such information shall be provided to the representatives of trade unions and representatives of employees under Art. 7, para. 2.
(8) (SG No. 48/2006, Sg No. 7/2012) If possible, the employer shall take measures to facilitate the access of employees on temporary contracts to vocational training to improve their skills and opportunities for career and transferring to another job.

According to the LC fixed term contract shall be concluded for a definite period which shall not be longer than 3 years, insofar as a law or an act of the Council of Ministers do not provide otherwise - for execution of temporary, seasonal or short-term works and activities, as well as with newly hired employees in enterprises that have been declared bankrupt or in liquidation (Art 68.1.1 and Art. 68.3 LC).
Also, fixed term contract can be concluded until completion of some specified work (art.68.1.2), for substitution for an employee who is absent from work (Art.68.1.3), for working at a job which is to be taken through a competitive examination, for the time until it is taken on the basis of the competitive examination (Art. 68.1.4).

In 2012, the amendment SG No. 7/2012 allows fixed term contract to be concluded for a long-term mission designated for posting in the foreign representation of the Republic of Bulgaria abroad under the Foreign Service (Art. 68.6 LC).

General rule: no renewal.

However art. 68 (4) LC provides for exceptions stating that a fixed term employment contract pursuant to paragraph (1), subparagraph 1 may be concluded for a period of not less than one year and for works and activities that are not of temporary, seasonal or short-term nature. According to the same article, such an employment contract may also be concluded for a shorter period upon request in writing by the employee. In such cases the fixed term employment contract under paragraph (1), sub-paragraph 1 may be repeatedly concluded with the same employee for the same type of work only once for a period of at least one year.

Art. 68.1.1 LC provides for 36 months as a maximum duration of successive fixed term contracts.

Art. 49 LC

Art. 52 LC: no limitation for renewals, except in cases of abuses.

No specified limitation concerning the maximum cumulative duration. However, if the competent court rules that the number of successive FTC is excessive, the contract is deemed to be of an indefinite duration, except in some specific situations: art. 54 LC.
Note that a single fixed-term contract can not be concluded for more than 24 months for national workers and 36 months for foreign workers.

See Secs. 66 and 67 LC.
No limitation on the reasons for concluding a FTC (sec. 66). However, a labour contract signed with consent for a specific duration must contain a precise finishing date. Any violation of this rule leads the contract to become an indefinite labour contract (sec. 67).

Sec. 67, 5) LC: it can be renewed one or more times, as long as the renewal does not exceed the max. duration of 2 years.

Sec. 67(8) LC: When a contract is signed for a fixed period of or less than two years, but the work tacitly and quietly continues after the end of the fixed period, the contract becomes a labor contract of undetermined duration (confirmed by the Arbitration Council).

Art. 25 LC

Art. 25 (1) a) LC
Exceptions:
*Are not renewable contracts concluded for the execution of a specified task and contract which termination is subject to the occurrence of a future but certain event;
* Are renewable without limitation contracts of temporary employment to replace a worker, employment to complete a task within a specified period which requires additional manpower, occasional work aiming at coping with unexpected growth in the activities of the company or entailing urgent tasks for reasons of public security, and seasonal work. (art. 25 (4) LC)

Art. 25 (1) a): maximum 2 years renewable once.
*This limitation does not however apply to temporary employment to replace a worker, employment to complete a task within a specified period which requires additional manpower, occasional work aiming at coping with unexpected growth in the activities of the company or entailing urgent tasks for reasons of public security, and seasonal work. (art. 25 (4) LC)

No statutory limitations.

No statutory limitations.

No statutory limitations.

No valid reasons are listed in the LC for the conclusion of fixed term contracts with a specified term.
However, Art. 108 LC provides that FTC with an unspecified term can be concluded:
- to temporarily replace a worker;
- to carry out seasonal work;
- in the event of unusual activity of the enterprise.
Art. 108 LC (last para.) adds that in order to avoid any ambiguity, the employer must at the time of hiring, communicate all elements likely to enlighten the worker on the approximate duration of the contract.

See Art. 107 and Art. 105 (2) LC on successive FTCs.
FTCs with a specified term ("contrats de travail u00e0 terme precis") can be renewed without any limitation provided that the total cumulative duration does not exceed 2 years.

Contracts with an unspecified term (in the event of seasonal work, temporary replacement of a worker, temporary increase volume of work) can be renewed without any limitation (Art. 109 LC).

See Art. 107 and Art. 105 (2) LC on successive FTC
Fixed-term contracts with a specified term ("contrats de travail u00e0 terme precis") can be renewed without any limitation provided that the total cumulative duration does not exceed 2 years.
The 2 year-limitation also applies to the conclusion of a single FTC (Art. 103 (3) LC).

However, this 2-year limitation does not apply to contracts with an unspecified term (in the event of seasonal work, temporary replacement of a worker, temporary increase volume of work): Art. 108 and Art. 110 (2) LC.

Art. 159 LC stipulates that fact of working after the expiration of a FTC transforms the FTC in an open-ended contract. The same effect is produced by the second renewal of a FTC.

Art. 159 LC: Fixed-term contracts may be made for a maximum duration of one year (art 159 LC). One renewal is possible, provided that the maximum cumulative duration does not exceed 1 year.
As an exception, a FTC may last up to 2 years in case of managers or individuals with a professional or technical degree. One renewal is possible, provided that the maximum cumulative duration does not exceed 2 years.

If a worker is employed intermittently for 12 months or more under 2 or more FTC within a period of 15 months, which starts to count from the first appointment of the worker, there will be a legal presumption of an open ended contract.

Art. 13 ECL: no material reasons required.
The ECL only provides for procedural requirements: a FTC contract can be concluded once the employer and the worker have reached a consensus through consultations. In addition, according to art. 14 ECL, "if an Employer fails to conclude a written labor contract with an employee within one (1) year from the date the employee commences work, they shall be deemed to have entered into an open-ended labor contract".

Art. 14(3) ECL :" (..) An open-ended labor contract may be concluded between an Employer and an employee upon consultation. If an employee proposes or agrees to renew and conclude a labor contract in any of the following circumstances, an open-ended labor contract shall be concluded, unless the employee requests the conclusion of a fixed-term labor contract instead:
(3) Where a labor contract was concluded as a fixed-term labor contract on two consecutive occasions and the employee, in the absence of any of the circumstances stipulated in Article 39 and items (1) and (2) of Article 40 of this law, renews such contract."

Art. 14(1) ECL:
"(..) An open-ended labor contract may be concluded between an Employer and an employee upon consultation. If an employee proposes or agrees to renew and conclude a labor contract in any of the following circumstances, an open-ended labor contract shall be concluded, unless the employee requests the conclusion of a fixed-term labor contract instead:
(1) The employee has been working for the Employer for ten (10) consecutive years".

Article 45 of Labour Code provides that the employment contract can be concluded for a specified time, for the duration of the performance of a specific work or job, for an indefinite period or to carry out occasional, accidental or transitory work.

See above article 45 of Labour Code.

Article 46 Labour Code provides that the fixed-term employment contract must always be in writing and its duration cannot exceed three (3) years, but it is renewable indefinitely.

1. If, before the expiration date of the stipulated term, neither party will notify the other in writing of its determination not to extend the contract, not less than thirty (30) days in advance, it shall be deemed renewed for a period equal to the initially agreed, and so on.

2. However, if the fixed term is less than one (1) year, the contract may only be extended successively for up to three (3) periods equal to or less, after which the term of renewal may not be less than one (1) year, and so on.

(Paragraph) In fixed-term contracts of less than one year, workers will be entitled to vacation pay and service premium in proportion to the time worked, whatever it may be.

See above article 46 of Labour Code.

Article 34 of the Labour Code: the duration of a fixed-term contract cannot exceed 2 years and it may be renewed only once for the maximum duration of one year.

Article 34 of the Labour Code: the duration of a fixed-term contract cannot exceed 2 years and it may be renewed only once for the maximum duration of one year.

Art. 40 and 42 LC.

Art. 41 LC.
Except for seasonal work and other types of work to be determined by the Ministry of Labour.
The Ministerial Order nu00b0063/CAB/PVPM/ETPS/2011 provides a list of activities for which the statutory limitation on the number of successive FTCs (max. 2) does not apply (see art. 2 of the Order). These include seasonal work such harvest, farming activities, plant weeding and watering, fishing, activities undertaken on a rotating basis in the mining, oil and hotel industries. This exclusion also covers: work performed for the construction of structures (bridges, roads, railways, roads, hospital. runways), work performed for a specific program or project with a fixed-term, humanitarian work, part-time and temporary work to add to the working hours of an employee who is unable to work full time for one reason or another, work to be performed temporarily until the effective starting date of a newly recruited employee, and work to be performed in case of temporary increase of activity.

Art. 41 LC.
Maximum duration of 1 FTC (2 years) renewable once.
Note: The maximum duration of a FTC is 1 year for workers with family responsibilities living away from their family.

Articles 26 of Labour Code provides that the fixed-term employment contract can only be agreed when the nature of the work merits it. In the same way, this type of contract can be carried out before occasional and extraordinary work. On the contrary, it cannot be agreed when the work is of a permanent nature.

See Article 26 above.

Arts. 26 and 27 Labour Code: The fixed-term or fixed-term contract must be stipulated for a period not exceeding one year. For the determination of said time, the extensions made to the employment contract must be taken into consideration. If special technical preparation is necessary to carry out the work, the employment contract can be extended for up to five years.
However, if the nature and cause of the work remain at the end of the employment contract for a certain period of time and the hiring is not renewed, it will be interpreted for the benefit of the worker as an employment contract for an indeterminate period and the payment of the corresponding workers' compensation will proceed. The foregoing would proceed even if the year of seniority is not exceeded.

Arts. 26 and 27 Labour Code: The fixed-term or fixed-term contract must be stipulated for a period not exceeding one year. For the determination of said time, the extensions made to the employment contract must be taken into consideration. If special technical preparation is necessary to carry out the work, the employment contract can be extended for up to five years.

A noter que l'article 15.8 du Code du travail dispose que "lorsqu'un contrat à durée déterminée prend fin dans que ne soit conclu un contrat à durée indéterminée entre les parties, le travailleur a droit à une indemnité de fin de contrat comme complément de salaire. Le taux applicable pour la détermination de l'indemnité de fin de contrat est de 3%. (...).
___________
In English:
It should be noted that Art.15.8 of the Labour Code provides that "when a fixed-term contract ends without being followed by an open-ended contract between the parties, the worker is entitled to a termination indemnity as a supplement to his salary. The applicable rate for determining the termination indemnity is 3%. (...).

Art. 14.1 LC

Art. 15.4 LC

L'article 15.4 du Code du travail dispose que "Les contrats u00e0 terme pru00e9cis ne peuvent u00eatre conclus pour une duru00e9e supu00e9rieure u00e0 deux ans. Les contrats u00e0 terme pru00e9cis peuvent u00eatre renouvelu00e9s sans limitation. Toutefois, ces renouvellements ne peuvent avoir pour effet d'entrau00eener un du00e9passement de la duru00e9e maximale de deux ans."
Toutefois, cette limitation ne s'applique pas aux contrats "u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e u00e0 terme impru00e9cis" qui ne peuvent u00eatre conclus que pour l'exu00e9cution d'une tu00e2che pru00e9cise et temporaire dans certains cas spu00e9cifiques (Art. 15.6 et 15.7 du Code du travail)
______________
In English:
Art. 15.4 of the Labour Code provides that "Fixed-term contracts may not be concluded for a period exceeding two years. Fixed-term contracts may be renewed without limitation. However, such renewals may not have the effect of exceeding the maximum duration of two years."
However, this limitation does not apply to "fixed-term contracts with an indefinite term" which can only be concluded for the performance of a specific and temporary task in certain specific cases (Art. 15.6 and 15.7 LC).

Article 25 of Labour Code provides that the employment contracts might be concluded for: a) for an indefinite time, which is arranged to carry out permanent work and does not express the termination date; and b) for a specified time or for the execution of a job or work, which is arranged to carry out eventual or emergent work, as well as the fulfillment of the social service, for the trial period, to temporarily replace absent workers for justified reasons covered by legislation, training courses for new workers and others that require it.

See article 25 of Labour Code.

There is no indication of limitation in the law.

The new Labour Code excluded the provision concerning limitation of FTCu00b4s.

Subject to correct interpretation of the 98(I)/2003 Act (available only in original language) that transposes the Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 25 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work.
Article 7 of TEA - completion of a task is temporary and the particularity of the ongoing task justifies the contract's fixed duration

Subject to correct interpretation of the 98(I)/2003 Act (available only in original language) that transposes the Council Directive 1999/70/EC of 25 June 1999 concerning the framework agreement on fixed-term work.

Under Article 7 of the Fixed-Term Employees (Prohibition of Discrimination) Law 2003 (N98(I)/2003), when an employee is employed on a fixed-term contract for 30 months or more, the contract is regarded for all purposes to be permanent and any provision in the contract that limits its duration will be inapplicable unless the employer can prove that employment under a fixed-term contract can be justified for objective reasons.

Before the amendments which took effect in 2012, Sec. 39 LC did not refer to any maximum number of successive FTC, but only to a maximum cumulative duration of 24 month.
In 2012, a new rule came into force stating that fixed term contracts can be agreed only twice (sec. 39.2 LC).
Also, maximum cumulative duration has been extended from 24 months to 36 months (sec. 39.2 LC).

Before the amendments which entered into force in 2012, sec. 39 (2) provided for maximum duration of 24 months. In addition, 6 months were necessary between 2 fixed-term contracts. Also, the 24 months limitation did not
apply in cases listed in sec. 39 (3), i.e.: when the FTC is concluded for the purpose of temporary replacement of an absent employee, when there are serious operational reasons on the part of the employer or reasons relating to the special nature of work to be performed provided that the reasons are specified in a written agreement between the employer and the trade union organization.
With the new amendments, maximum cumulative duration has been extended up to 36 months (sec. 39.2 LC). Also, part of the section which called for 6 months time period necessary between 2 fixed term contracts has been deleted as well as the cases previously listed under sec. 39.3 LC.

Sec. 1 (4) ESEA, refers to "objective criteria such as reaching a specific date, completing a specific task or the occurrence of a specific event".

No statutory limitation regarding the maximum number of successive FTC, but renewal of FTC must be based on objective grounds according to Section 5 of the Act (No. 907 of 2008) on fixed-term employment.

No statutory limitation regarding the maximum number of successive FTC, but renewal of FTC must be based on objective grounds according to Section 5 of the Act (No. 907 of 2008) on fixed-term employment.

Article 11of Labour Code provides that employment contracts might be:
a) Express or tacit, and the first, written or verbal; b) For salary, salary, participation and mixed; c) For a fixed time, for an indefinite time, seasonal, eventual and occasional; d) Trial Period; e) For certain work, for task and piecework; f) By hitch; g) Individual, group or team.

Fixed-term contracts might be concluded for objective and material reasons or for no objective reason, but for a limited period: i) Fixed term contracts for permanent activities, however limited in time, from a minimum of 1 year to a maximum of 2 years (article 11c, 14 and 184 of Labour Code), ii) seasonal contracts for cyclic and discontinuous activities, repeated each season (article 11c and 17 of Labour Code) and the worker is entitle to severance payment if not hired for the next season, iii) eventual contracts to: a) replace a worker on vacation, illness, maternity leave or b) to attend an increase on demand of goods and services limited to 6 months within a period of 1 year (article 17 of Labour Code), iv) contracts to attend extraordinary non-core activities of the employer, limited to 30 days within a period of 1 year (article 17 of Labour Code), v) Contracts for specific work or service, which in its nature is of limited duration (article 16 of Labour Code).

Article 14 of Labour Code provides a minimum period of stability of one year, of any fixed-term or indefinite-time contract, that workers enter into with companies or employers in general, when the activity or work is of a nature stable or permanent, without for this circumstance the contracts for an indefinite time becoming term contracts, such workers must be considered for the purposes of this Law as stable or permanent.
The following are excepted from the provisions of the preceding paragraph: a) Contracts for certain work, which are not habitual in the activity of the company or employer; b) Eventual, occasional and seasonal contracts; c) Those of domestic service; d) Those for learning; e) Those held between artisans and their operators; f) Trial contracts; g) The others that the law determines.

Article 184 (2) establishes that in fixed-term contracts, the duration of which may not exceed two non-renewable years, its termination must be notified at least thirty days in advance, and if not, it will become an indefinite-time contract, except for the cases in which the nature of the contract is transitory (Article 170 of Labour Code).

No statutory limitations on the use of FTCs found in the LL.

No statutory limitations on the use of FTCs found in the LL.
See art. 106 LL: By express agreement of the two parties, a FTC may be renewed several times.

No statutory limitations on the use of FTCs found in the LL.
Art 106 LA: by express agreement of the two parties, a FTC may be renewed several times.
See also art 105 LA: a FTC is deemed renewed for an indefinite period if both parties continue to abide by it after its date of expiry, exception made for foreign workers.

See art . 25-27 LC.
The LC authorizes contracts concluded for a limited (and specified) term (art. 25 LC) and contracts concluded to perform a specific work (art. 26 LC).
According to art. 25 LC, contracts with a limited duration can only be concluded to perform temporary or casual work.
The term of the contract and objective circumstances that justify the use of such temporary employment contract must be indicated in writing in the contract (art. 23(4) LC)
Art. 27 LC stipulates that a FTC can be concluded in order to replace a worker whose contract is temporarily suspended.

Arts 9 and 10 ECA.

Art. 9 ECA: It is presumed that employment contracts are made for an unspecified period. A fixed-term contract may be made for up to five years if it is justified by good reasons arising from the temporary fixed-term characteristics of the work, especially a temporary increase in work volume or performance of seasonal work. A FTC may also be concluded for the replacement of an employee who is temporarily absent.

New in 2012
The 2012 amendment has modified the ECA which now in addition to what is stated above states that if duties are performed by way of temporary agency work, an employment contract may be entered into for a specified term also if it is justified by the temporary characteristics of the work in a user undertaking. (Art. 9 ECA)

Art. 10 ECA: If an employee and an employer have on more than two consecutive occasions entered into a fixed-term employment contract for similar work or extended the fixed-term contract more than once in five years, the employment relationship shall be deemed to have been entered into for an unspecified term from the start. Entry into fixed-term employment contracts shall be deemed consecutive if the time between the termination of one employment contract and entry into the next employment contract does not exceed two months.

New in 2012
The 2012 amendment has modified the ECA which now in addition to what is stated above states that if duties are performed by way of temporary agency work, the restriction on consecutive entry into or extension of an employment contract for a specified term provided for in subsection (1) of art. 10 shall be applied to every user undertaking separately (Art. 10.2 ECA)

Arts. 9 and 10 ECA: A fixed term employment contract can be entered into not longer than 5 years and such contract can only be renewed once. Therefore the maximum cumulated duration of successive fixed term contracts is 10 years (5+5 years).

Art. 10 LP provides for a limited list of 9 cases when FTC can be concluded. The list includes amongst others temporary replacement of a permanent worker, urgent and abnormal pressure of work and seasonal work.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

Sec. 3, chap. 1 ECA: "justified reason".
Sec 3a, chap 1 ECA: A fixed term contract with a worker who has been unemployed for at least 1 year is possible without a u201cjustified reasonu201d for a maximum duration of 1 year, with the possibility to renew the contract for 1 additional year.

Although there are no statutory limitations on the number of successive contracts, the ECA states that "consecutive fixed-term contracts concluded without any justified reason shall be considered valid indefinitely" (sec. 3(2), chap. 1 ECA).
New since 1 January 2011:
Source of information: European labour Law Network, FINLAND - Amendment on consecutive fixed term contracts, 01-01-2011 (link provided under "Scope of additional information").
Sec 3, chap.1 ECA has been amended by Act No 1224/2010 which came into force on 01/01/2011. A new paragraph (3) regarding successive FTcs has been added to sec. 3, which reads as follows:
"It is prohibited to use consecutive fixed-term contracts when the amount or total duration of fixed-term contracts or the totality of such contracts indicates a permanent need of labour." (sec. 3(3), chap. 1, ECA)
"The report of the Employment and Equality Committee of the Parliament indicates that the amendment was a reaction to a judgement of the Finnish Supreme Court (Korkein oikeus 2010:11; votes 3-2). Repeated consecutive employment contracts concluded for one year and prolonged per agreement were considered to have a justified reason. The main argument was that a municipality V outsourced kindergarten services to the employer on a contractual annual basis. The employer only provided services to V and the employer's activity was considered to be fully dependent on the decisions made by V. The minority argued that the economic risk was unduly transferred to the employee."

No statutory limitation on the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCS. However the ECA states that "consecutive fixed-term contracts concluded without any justified reason shall be considered valid indefinitely" (sec. 3(2), chap. 1, ECA).
New since 1 January 2011:
Source of information: European labour Law Network, FINLAND - Amendment on consecutive fixed term contracts, 01-01-2011 (link provided under "Scope of additional information").
Sec 3, chap.1 ECA has been amended by Act No 1224/2010 which came into force on 01/01/2011. A new paragraph (3) regarding successive FTcs has been added to sec. 3, which reads as follows:
"It is prohibited to use consecutive fixed-term contracts when the amount or total duration of fixed-term contracts or the totality of such contracts indicates a permanent need of labour." (sec. 3(3), chap. 1, ECA)
"The report of the Employment and Equality Committee of the Parliament indicates that the amendment was a reaction to a judgement of the Finnish Supreme Court (Korkein oikeus 2010:11; votes 3-2). Repeated consecutive employment contracts concluded for one year and prolonged per agreement were considered to have a justified reason. The main argument was that a municipality V outsourced kindergarten services to the employer on a contractual annual basis. The employer only provided services to V and the employer's activity was considered to be fully dependent on the decisions made by V. The minority argued that the economic risk was unduly transferred to the employee."

See art. L 1242-1 LC to L. 1242-4 LC.
Art L 1242-2 LC to L 1242-4 LC: exhaustive list of situations when the use of FTC is authorized.
[New in 2019:] Pursuant to art. L 1242-1, 1u00b0 LC, a FTC can be concluded for the replacement of a single employee. Act No. 2018-771 of 5 September 2018 provides that, on an experimental basis and by way of derogation from this provision, a single FTC may be concluded to replace several employees in the sectors to be listed by decree. This possibility is open between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020. Decree No. 2019-1388 of 18 December 2019 enumerates the sectors concerned (cleaning, road transport, etc.)

An extended sectoral collective agreement may determine the maximum number of renewals of FTCs. This number may not have the purpose or the effect of permanently filling a job related to the normal and permanent activity of the enterprise. In the absence of a provision to that effect in a collective agreement, the previous limit of 2 successive renewals remains applicable (new art. L. 1243-13-1 LC).
However, the contract for a specific project (u201ccontrat u00e0 objet du00e9finiu201d) cannot be renewed (art. L.1242-8-2 LC).

Art. L 1242-8 LC: an extended sectoral collective agreement may determine the maximum cumulative duration of FTCs. This duration may not have the purpose or the effect of permanently filling a job related to the normal and permanent activity of the enterprise. In the absence of a provision to that effect in a collective agreement, the maximum duration is normally set at 18 months and can be up to 24 months in 3 specific situations, e.g. when an exceptionally important order for products to be exported is received (art. L. 1242-8-1 LC).
The maximum length of a contract for a specific project (u201ccontrat u00e0 objet du00e9finiu201d) is 36 months. Art. L 1242-8-2 LC.

Art. 23 LC as amended in 2010 by Order No. 018/PR/2010.

Art. 23 LC as amended in 2010 by Order No. 018/PR/2010.

Art. 23 LC as amended in 2010 by Order No. 018/PR/2010.
Fixed-term contract can only be renewed once

New in 2010: The former exception to this rules regarding "fixed-term contract of a short duration" which could be renewed more than once, provided the cumulative duration did not exceed 2 years, was removed from Art. 23 LC by Order No. 018/PR/2010.

Maximum duration of a FTC: 24 months renewable once (Art. 23 LC as amended in 2010 by Order No. 018/PR/2010).

Article 6 – Conclusion of labour agreements
1. A labour agreement shall be oral or written, fixed-term or open-ended.

Article 6 LC:
Except if the FTC is concluded for one year or more, the FTC can be used only for the following reasons: a) work of specific volume has to be fulfilled; b) seasonal work has to be fulfilled; c) the volume of work increases temporarily; d) an employee who is temporarily absent from work is replaced on the basis of a suspension of labour relations; e) there is any other objective circumstance justifying the execution of the agreement for a definite period.

According to Article 6, 1 (3):
If a labour agreement has been concluded for more than 30 months, or if labour relations have continued on the basis of concluding fixed-term labour agreements for two or more consecutive times and the duration of the above labour relations exceeds 30 months, an open-ended labour agreement shall be deemed to have been concluded.

In this sense, there is no limitation for renewals since the total lenght of the contract does not exceed 30 months.

According to Article 6, 1 (3) LC:
If a labour agreement has been concluded for more than 30 months, or if labour relations have continued on the basis of concluding fixed-term labour agreements for two or more consecutive times and the duration of the above labour relations exceeds 30 months, an open-ended labour agreement shall be deemed to have been concluded.

The LC provides an exception from the general restrictions on using FTCs for so-called start-up companies until a 48 months period has expired from the state registration:
The exception is provided by the Article 6, 1 (4) LC: the restrictions imposed under this article on concluding fixed term labour agreements shall not apply to business entities under Article 2(1) of the Law of Georgia on Entrepreneurs if 48 months have not elapsed since their public registration (start-up enterprises) and if they meet the additional conditions (if any), as defined by the Government of Georgia on the condition that the duration of a fixed term labour agreement may not be shorter than three months for the purposes of this paragraph.

However, this exception related to start-up companies shall not apply to a business entity established as a result of reorganization or based on the transfer of assets under the ownership or possession of another entrepreneurial entity or based on a fraudulent transaction (Article 6.15 LC).

Sec. 14 (1) Part-Time and Fixed-Term Employment Act (2011) [PTFTEA].
However, objective and material reasons are not required for the conclusion of a contract for a term not exceeding 2 years. Within this time frame, the contract can be renewed 3 times (sec. 14 (2) PTFTEA). For newly founded enterprises, this time limit is up to 4 years.
Similarly, no justification is required for the conclusion of fixed-term contracts with employees over 52 years old.

The extent of limitation in the number of successive depends on whether or not there is an objective reason for resorting to FTC:
* If there is an objective reason for each successive contract, it can be renewed without any limitation.
* FTC concluded without any justified reason are subject to a limitation of maximum 4 successive provided that the total duration does not exceed 2 years (sec. 14, 2 PTFTEA).

The extent of limitation on the maximum cumulative duration depends on whether or not there is an objective reason for resorting to FTC:
* If there is an objective reasons for each successive contract, there is no limitation for renewing such FTC.
* FTC concluded without any justified reason are subject to a limitation of maximum 4 successive provided that the total duration does not exceed 2 years (sec. 14, 2 PTFTEA).
For newly founded enterprises, this time limit is up to 4 years.

The Labour Act does not refer to any specific legal regime for the use of fixed-term contract.
Only temporary and casual workers are regulated by special provisions (art. 73 to 78 LA)

The Labour Act does not refer to any specific legal regime for the use of fixed-term contracts.
Only temporary and casual employment are regulated by special provisions (art. 73 to 78 LA)

(Note: Art. 78: "temporary worker" means a worker who is employed for a continuous period of not less than one month and is not a permanent worker or employed for a work that is seasonal in character; "casual worker" means a worker engaged on a work which is seasonal or intermittent and not for a continuous period of more than 6 months and whose remuneration is calculated on a daily basis".)

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

Presidential Decree 81/2003, as amended by P.D. 180/2004.

See Article 669(2) of the Civil Code.
In addition, the renewal of a FTC is permitted without any limitation only if it is justified by an objective reason, in particular the nature or the form of the employer's or the company's activity, special grounds or needs which are specifically provided for in the employment contract (inter alia temporary replacement of a worker, performance of occasional work, temporary increase in workload, work provided in relation to education or training, performance of a specific project or programme, work linked to a specific event or in undertakings offering air transportation and airport services).(Art. 5 P.D. 81/2003, as amended by P.D. 180/2004).

NOTE: The basic principles governing PD 180/2004 are as follows:
- workers may be employed on fixed-term contracts to meet standing, permanent needs of the enterprise (Article 3);
- workers on fixed-term contracts must have completed 24 months of actual employment or three successive renewals of their initial fixed-term contract in order to be considered as having an open-ended contract (Article 3);
- for a fixed-term employment contract to be renewed, the time since expiry of the previous contract may not exceed three months in public utilities and services and 45 days in the rest of the private sector (Article 3);
- to be covered by the PD's provisions on conversion into open-ended contracts, the employment relationship of workers under fixed-term employment contracts must have been in effect on the date the PD was issued, or have expired within the three months preceding that date (Article 4).

PD 180/2004 lengthen the interval between two successive employment contracts from 30 working days, as provided for in PD 81/2003, to 45 days. The exemptions that prevented certain categories of workers from converting fixed-term contracts into contracts of indefinite duration have been abolished, except for special conditions relating to air transport companies, which have been retained. The previous precondition of objective reasons for renewal of fixed-term employment contracts has also been restricted substantially. Therefore in order to convert 'wrongful' successive fixed-term employment relationships into open-ended ones, such contracts must meet standing, permanent needs of the enterprise and fulfil the formal preconditions set by the PD, without there being a need for numerous objective reasons.
(Source : EuroFound https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/mt/publications/article/2004/new-regulations-on-fixed-term-contracts-in-private-sector)

Art. 5 P.D. 81/2003, as amended by P.D. 180/2004:
The unlimited renewal of FTC is permitted if it is justified by an objective reason (see above).
However, if within a two-year period, more than 3 successive contracts are concluded, it shall be presumed that they are used as a means of meeting fixed and constant needs of the undertaking or exploitation, resulting in their transformation into permanent employment contracts (even where there are objective reasons for concluding a fixed-term contract)
The employer has the burden to prove otherwise.

2 years under P.D. 81/2003 as amended by P.D. 180/2004:
Art. 5 P.D. 81/2003, as amended by P.D. 180/2004 provides that the unlimited renewal of FTC is permitted if it is justified by an objective reason (see above). However, if the total duration of the successive contracts or employment relations exceeds two years, it shall be presumed that they are used as a means of meeting fixed and constant needs of the undertaking or exploitation, resulting in their transformation into permanent employment contracts.

However: 3 years under Law No. 3986/2011
Under Law No. 3986/2011 (Urgent Measures for the Implementation of the Mid-term Financial Strategy Framework 2012-2015), if the duration of successive employment contracts exceeds three years in total, without being justified by specific reasons or needs provided by law, it is deemed that those contracts cover constant and permanent needs of the enterprise and consequently are of indefinite duration (art. 41).

Article 25 of Labour Code provides that the individual employment contract may be:
a) For an indefinite time, when no date is specified for its termination.
b) For a fixed term, when a date is specified for its completion or when the occurrence of some fact or circumstance such as the completion of a work has been foreseen, which must necessarily end the employment relationship. In this second case, the worker's activity itself must be taken into account as the object of the contract, and not the result of the work; and
c) For a specific work, when the price of the worker's services is adjusted globally or in elevation from the time the work begins until the work is completed, taking into account the result of the work, that is, the work carried out.

Although the worker receives advanced payments on account of the work performed or to be performed, the individual employment contract must be understood for a specific work, provided that the conditions indicated in the preceding paragraph are met.

Article 25 (b) and (c) of Labour Code above described.

Article 26 of Labour Code provides that if the nature and cause of the work remain at the end of the work contract for a certain time and the hiring is not renewed, it will be interpreted for the benefit of the worker as an a contract for indefinite time and payment of the workers' compensation will proceed.
Contracts for a fixed term and for the execution of a specific work are of an exception nature and can only be concluded in cases that are required by the accidental or temporary nature of the service to be provided or of the work to be executed.

The maximum cumulative duration that may mediate between the successive conclusion of contracts for a defined time is not specified in the law.

Article 46 (b) and (c) of Labour Code provides that an employment contract might be concluded in a fixed-term when: b) when the date for its completion is specified or when the occurrence of some fact or circumstance such as the construction of a work has been foreseen, which must necessarily end the employment relationship. In this second case, the activity of the worker himself, as the object of the contract, and not the result of the work must be taken into account; and, c) For specific works or services, when the price of the worker's services is adjusted globally or in elevation, from the beginning of the work until the work is completed, taking into account the result of the work, that is, the work carried out.

Article 47 -Contracts related to work that by their nature are permanent or continuous in the company, shall be considered as concluded for an indefinite period, even if they express a term of duration, if the cause that gave rise to them expires. to the subject of work for the provision of services or the execution of the same or similar works. The service time will be counted from the start date of the employment relationship, even if it does not coincide with that of the written contract. Consequently, fixed-term contracts for a specific work are exceptional and can only be concluded in cases where the accidental or temporary nature of the service to be provided or the work to be carried out so requires.

Artice 46 (b) and (c) of Labour Code.

Although the worker receives advance payments on account of the work performed or to be performed, the individual employment contract must be understood for a specific work provided the conditions indicated in the preceding paragraph are met. The contract for specific works or services will last until the total execution of the one or until the total provision of the others.

Art. 48(2) LC provides that fixed-term contract can be expressly or tacitly renewed. No maximum authorized of renewals is specified if the maximum lenght of 12 months is not exceeded.

Article 48 - The clause of an employment contract in which the worker is obliged to provide services for a term greater than one (1) year is void, but the nullity may only be recognized at the request of the worker. The same provision shall apply to services that require special technical preparation when the term of the contract is greater than five (5) years.
(1) However, any fixed-time contract is subject to extension or tacit. It will be in the latter way due to the fact that the worker continues to provide his services without opposition from the employer.

The LC does not require any specific reason for resorting to a FTC for the first time. However, a fixed-term employment relationship may be extended, or another fixed-term employment relationship may be concluded within six months from the time of termination of the previous one only upon the employeru2019s legitimate interests. The agreement may not infringe upon the employeeu2019s legitimate interest (LC, sec. 192(4)).

In the previous Labour Code sec. 79 (4) provided that a contract renewed without a valid reason ("rightful interest") on the part of the employer and aimed at compromising the interest of the employee shall be deemed established for an indefinite duration. This provision has been repealed in the new Labour Code.

The duration of a fixed-term employment relationship may not exceed five years, including the duration of an extended relationship and that of another fixed-term employment relationship concluded within six months of the termination of the previous fixed-term employment relationship.

Where an employment relationship is subject to official authorization, it may only be concluded for the duration specified in the authorization. If the authorization is extended, the duration of the new fixed-term employment relationship may exceed five years together with the duration of the previous employment relationship. (LC, sec. 192(2)(3))

Sec 2(e) MSO reads as follows: a temporary workman is a workman who has been engaged for work which is of an essentially temporary nature likely to be finished within a limited period.

Art. 59 (1) and (2) MA:
"(1) A work agreement for a specified time can only be made for a certain job, which, because of the type and nature of the job, will finish in a specified time, that is:
a. Work to be performed and completed at once or work which is temporary by nature;
b. Work whose completion is estimated time which is not too long and no longer than 3 (three) years;
c. Seasonal work; or
d. Work that is related to a new product, a new activity or an additional product that is still in the experimental stage or try-out phase.
(2) A work agreement for a specified time cannot be made for jobs that are permanent by nature."

Art. 59 (4) MA: one extension possible.

Art. 52 (4) MA: A fixed term contract can only be concluded for a period of no longer than two years and be
extended one time that is not longer than one year.

Where an employment contract is concluded for a fixed term or for piece­work, neither party may unilaterally terminate the contract (sec. 25 LC)

See Note 2 under section 7 of the Labour Code: "The maximum duration of a definite period in respect of types of work which are not permanent by nature shall be determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and approved by the Council of Ministers."

See Note 2 under section 7 of the Labour Code: "The maximum duration of a definite period in respect of types of work which are not permanent by nature shall be determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and approved by the Council of Ministers."

The LC is silent as to the possibility of renewing FTC and the rules regarding the maximum number of renewals.
It only refers to the "maximum duration of a definite period in respect of types of work which are not permanent by nature" which "shall be determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and approved by the Council of Ministers."(sec. 7, note 2, LC).

The LC does not specify the maximum duration of (successive) FTCs
According to the Note 2 under section 7 of the Labour Code: "The maximum duration of a definite period in respect of types of work which are not permanent by nature shall be determined by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and approved by the Council of Ministers."

Article 23 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2015 provides that, unless otherwise provided by collective bargaining agreements, the number of employees employed under a FTC cannot exceed the limit of 20% of the total number of employees employed by an employer under open-ended employment contracts.

Limitations after the first 12 months.

Article 19 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2015, as amended by Law Decree No. 87 of 2018, provides that there is no need to indicate a specific reason to enter a FTC when it has a maximum duration of 12 months.
The FTC can have a duration higher than 12 months, but in any case lower than 24 months, only if there is one of the following justifying reasons: a) temporary and objective needs unrelated to the ordinary business activity of the employer, or needs of temporarily replace other employees; or b) temporary, significant and unpredictable peaks in the ordinary business activity of the employer.

Notwithstanding the above, Article 20 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2015 provides that it is forbidden to use a FTC in the following cases: i) replacement of workers in strike; ii) replacement of positions in relation to collective dismissals occurred over the past 6 months; iii) when the business unit suffered suspension or reduction of activities connected to the intervention of State salary support; iv) employers that have not carried out the risk assessment activity in accordance with health and safety legislation.

Article 21 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2015, as amended by Law Decree No. 87 of 2018, provides that the term of the FTC can be extended, with the consent of the worker, only when the initial duration of the contract is less than 24 months, and, in any case, for maximum four times in 24 months.If the number of extensions is higher, the contract is transformed into an open-end contract from the effective date of the fifth extension.

Article 19 of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 2015, as amended by Law Decree No. 87 of 2018, provides that the maximum duration of a FTC is 24 months.
Article 21, as amended by Law Decree No. 87 of 2018, provides that a FTC can be extended for maximum four times in 24 months.

Section 2, subparagraph 1, and Section 3, subparagraph 5, of Employment (Termination and Redundancy) Act.

An FTC can be concluded for less than 3 years without objective reasons (section 14 of LSA).
An FTC can be however concluded for a maximum duration of five years only in the following cases: 1) if the worker is highly specialized with specialized knowledge, skills or experience that meet criteria established by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) or 2) if aged 60 years or older (sections. 14(1) and (2) of LSA).
It is worth highlighting that the dismissal of a fixed-term worker before the expiry of the term is not permitted,unless "there are unavoidable circumstances" (sec. 17(1) of LCL).

Section 20 of LCA, as amended in 2012, imposes a prohibition of unreasonable labor conditions through the use of a FTC, thereby restricting unreasonable differentiation of working conditions between FTCs and workers with indefinite labour contracts.
Sec. 20 provides that if a labor condition of a fixed-term labor contract for a worker is different from the counterpart labor condition of another labor contract with an indefinite term for another worker with the same employer due to the existence of a fixed term, such difference is not allowed to be unreasonable, considering the content of the duties of the workers and the extent of responsibilities accompanying the said duties (hereinafter referred to as the "job contents " in this section), the extent of changes in the job contents and work locations, and other circumstances.

Section 8 of the PT-FT Act [former u201cPart-time Workers Actu201d as amended by the 2018 Act (entry into force April 2020, and 2021 for small and medium-sized enterprises)]: A business operator shall not create differences found to be irrational between the base pay, bonuses, or other treatment of Part-Time/Fixed-Term Workers employed thereby and the corresponding types of treatment of ordinary workers, with due consideration to the circumstances that are found to be appropriate, among the descriptions of work of said Part-Time/Fixed-Term Workers and ordinary workers and the level of responsibilities associated with such work (hereinafter referred to as "Job Description"), the extent of changes in such Job Descriptions and their assignments, and other circumstances, in light of the nature of the treatment and the purposes of provision of the treatment.

Section 9 of the PT-FT Act: With regard to a Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker whose Job Description is equal to those of ordinary workers (referred to as "Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker with Equal Job Description" in paragraph 1 of Section 1) and whose Job Description and assignment are likely to be changed within the same range as the Job Descriptions and assignments of said ordinary workers, in light of the customary practice at the place of business concerned and other circumstances, and throughout the entire period until the termination of the employment relationship of the Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker with said business operator (referred to as "Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker Equivalent to Ordinary Workers" in the following Article and the aforementioned paragraph), the business operator shall not engage in discriminatory treatment in terms of base pay, bonuses, or other types of treatment by reason of the Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker being a Part-Time/Fixed-Term Worker.

No statutory limitation but employersu2019 statutory duty to consider not renewing labour contracts repeatedly:
No statutory limitation on the maximum number of successive FTCs. However, Sec. 17 (2) of the LCA provides that with regard to a fixed-term labour contract, an employer shall give consideration to not renewing such labour contract repeatedly as a result of prescribing a term that is shorter than necessary in light of the purpose of employing the worker based on such labour contract.

No statutory limitation but the possibility of converting an FTC into an indefinite contract upon workersu2019 application, if the cumulative duration of two or more successive FTCs exceeds 5 years.

Although the legislation places limits on the duration of a single fixed-term contract, the maximum cumulative duration of FTCs is not subject to statutory limitations.

Sec. 14 of LSA: A labour contract cannot be concluded for a term exceeding three years, exception made for the contracts concluded for the completion of a specified project. The maximum duration of five years is authorized for the contracts of labour of highly specialized employees and those aged 60 years or older.

However : Sec 18(1) LCA provides for the possibility of conversion of an FTC with the same employer to an indefinite labour contract upon the application by the worker, if the cumulative duration of two or more successive FTCs exceeds 5 years (excluding FTCs concluded with an interruption of 6 months or more, under section 18(2)), which the employer is deemed to accept.)

No statutory limitation on the use of FTC in the LL.

No statutory limitation on the renewals of FTC in the LL.
However, the LL provides that: "If the work contract was for a limited period, then it shall be terminated by the expiry of its period, if the parties have continued to implement the work contract after its expiry, then this shall be considered as a renewal of the contract for unlimited period from the beginning of employment" (art. 15 C) LL).

No statutory limitation on the use of FTC in the LL.

However, Article 806 of the Jordanian Civil Code provides that:
"1. The contract of employment may be for a limited or unlimited period and for a specific work.
2. The duration of the contract may not exceed five years."

Article 30 of the Labour Code (as of 2017)

Article 29 of the Labour Code

Update as of 2017: Article 30 1(2) LC states that the number of defined 1-year contracts can no exceed two years. That means technically that the maximum number of successive FTCs is two.

However, Article 30 LC further elaborates on exceptions to Article 30 1.(2) :
Article 30 1. (3) Contracts for the execution of a particular work;
Article 30 1. (4) Replacement for the temporarily absent employee;
Article 30 1. (5) For seasonal work;
Article 30 1. (6) Migrant workers;
Article 30 2. Small business owners can hire workers on definite contracts with no time limitations;
Article 30 5. Contracts of workers in retirement age can can be extended for one year indefinitely.

See comments above under maximum number of successive FTCs.

Article 16 (Term of Contract) LSA: "The term of a labor contract shall not exceed one year, except in cases where no term is fixed or a term is fixed as necessary for the completion of a project."

Art. 4 FTPTE, and art. 3 ED-PTPTE.
No limitation for the conclusion of 1 or more fixed-term contract provided that the total cumulative duration does not exceed 2 years.
However, as an exception, it is possible to conclude a fixed-term contract for more than 2 years, if there are objective and material reasons. These reasons are:
1) the period needed to complete a project or particular task is defined;
2) there is a need to fill a vacancy in case of a worker's temporary suspension from duty or dispatch until the worker returns to work;
3) the period needed for a worker to complete school work or vocational training is defined; or
4) a job requires professional knowledge and skills or is offered as part of the government's welfare or unemployment measures prescribed by a Presidential Decree
5) these is a rational reason prescribed by Decree.

No limitation within the 2-year-time frame: art. 4 (1) FTPTE

Art. 4 (1) FTPTE.

Art. 55 LC

Art. 55 LC

•No limitations on the use of FTCs (reasons, duration, number of renewal). However, art. 62(3) LC regulates termination of FTCs upon expiry of the term and provides that "A contract for one period of fixed duration shall set forth its date of termination. Such a contract shall, subject to the provisions of section 66 concerning dismissal, automatically terminate on that date and no notice of termination shall be required of either party."
•In addition, art. 62(4) LC provides that "A contract to perform some specific work or to undertake a specified journey shall terminate upon the completion of the work or journey. No notice of termination shall be required of either party, but an employer who terminates such a contract before its completion shall pay the employee all wages and other remuneration that would have been owing to the employee if he or she had continued to work until the completion of the contract."
•In addition, the LC provides that the non-renewal of a fixed-term contract, or contract for a specific task or journey, will result in dismissal only if the contract provides for the possibility of renewal (sec. 68(6) LC).

•Art 3(2) of the Codes of Good practice (not binding) provides, however, that a fixed term contract will be deemed to be renewed by default if an employee continues to work after the period of the fixed term expires and the employer accepts the employee to work. The duration of a contract renewed by default will depend on the circumstances. It may be a contract for another fixed term or one terminable on notice. It will depend on the surrounding circumstances.
Furthermore subsection (3) provides that the failure to renew a fixed-term contract in circumstances where the employee reasonably expected continuity of employment, may constitute a dismissal.

No statutory restrictions on the use of FTC (art. 62 LC).

Art. L 122-1 LC.

Art. L 122-5 LC: a fixed-term contract can be renewed twice within the time-limit of 24 months. However, this limitation is not applicable to FTC concluded with specific categories of workers (university teachers/researchers, artists, athletes, coaches,...).

In addition, the Act of 7 December 2016 has amended the Labour Code by adding a new subsection 4 to section L.122-5, which provides that fixed-term contracts concluded for temporary show business workers may be renewed more than twice.
______________________________
Art. L. 122-4 du Code du travail:
(1) A lu2019exception du contrat u00e0 caractu00e8re saisonnier, la duru00e9e du contrat conclu pour une duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e sur la base de lu2019article L. 122-1 ne peut, pour un mu00eame salariu00e9, excu00e9der vingt-quatre mois, renouvellements compris.
Art. L. 122-5 du Code du travail:
(1) Le contrat conclu pour une duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e peut u00eatre renouvelu00e9 deux fois pour une duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e (...)

- Amendement introduit par la Loi du 7 du00e9cembre 2016: u00ab(4) Par du00e9rogation aux dispositions du pru00e9sent article [Art. L. 122-5], peuvent u00eatre renouvelu00e9s plus de deux fois, les contrats de travail u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e conclus par les intermittents du spectacle, tels que du00e9finis u00e0 lu2019article 3 de la loi du 19 du00e9cembre 2014 relative 1. aux mesures sociales au bu00e9nu00e9fice des artistes professionnels indu00e9pendants et des intermittents du spectacle 2. u00e0 la promotion de la cru00e9ation artistique.u00bb

General rule: 24 months: art. L 122-4 (1) LC
Exceptions: In limited situations can be up to 60 months: art. L 122-2 (4) LC.
In addition, the Act of 7 December 2016 has amended the Labour Code by adding a new subsection 4 to section L.122-5, which provides that fixed-term contracts concluded for temporary show business workers may be renewed more than twice.
______________
Art. L. 122-4 du Code du travail:
(1) A lu2019exception du contrat u00e0 caractu00e8re saisonnier, la duru00e9e du contrat conclu pour une duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e sur la base de lu2019article L. 122-1 ne peut, pour un mu00eame salariu00e9, excu00e9der vingt-quatre mois, renouvellements compris.
(...)
(3) Le ministre ayant le Travail dans ses attributions peut exceptionnellement autoriser le relu00e8vement de la pu00e9riode maximale visu00e9e au paragraphe (1) dans lu2019intu00e9ru00eat de salariu00e9s exeru00e7ant des activitu00e9s dont le contenu requiert des connaissances hautement spu00e9cialisu00e9es et une expu00e9rience professionnelle confirmu00e9e dans la spu00e9cialisation ainsi que pour les emplois visu00e9s u00e0 lu2019article L. 122-1, paragraphe (2) sous 7, 8 et 9.
(4) Par du00e9rogation au paragraphe (1) qui pru00e9cu00e8de, peuvent avoir une duru00e9e totale maximale de soixante mois, renouvellements compris, les contrats conclus conformu00e9ment u00e0 lu2019article L. 122-1, paragraphe (3) sous 1, 3 et 4. (...)

- Amendement introduit par la Loi du 7 du00e9cembre 2016: u00ab(4) Par du00e9rogation aux dispositions du pru00e9sent article [Art. L. 122-5], peuvent u00eatre renouvelu00e9s plus de deux fois, les contrats de travail u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e conclus par les intermittents du spectacle, tels que du00e9finis u00e0 lu2019article 3 de la loi du 19 du00e9cembre 2014 relative 1. aux mesures sociales au bu00e9nu00e9fice des artistes professionnels indu00e9pendants et des intermittents du spectacle 2. u00e0 la promotion de la cru00e9ation artistique.u00bb

Art. 8 LC

Art. 8 (4) LC.

Art. 8 (5) LC: Any FTC concluded for at least 6 months will automatically transform into a contract of indefinite duration after 2 renewals.

Art. 8 (3) LC.

No reasons specified in the LC.
However, according to art. 28 (3) LC, fixed-term contracts used to fill in on a lasting basis positions connected with the normal and permanent activity of an undertaking shall be deemed concluded for an unspecified period of time.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

FTC: sec. 10 (1) EA and 11(1) EA.
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- Sec. 10(1) EA: "A contract of service for a specified period of time exceeding one month or for the performance of a specified piece of work, where the time reasonably required for the completion of the work exceeds or may exceed one month, shall be in writing."
- Sec. 11(1) EA: "A contract of service for a specified period of time or for the performance of a specified piece of work shall, unless otherwise terminated in accordance with this Part, terminate when the period of time for which such contract was made has expired or when the piece of work specified in such contract has been completed."

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

No statutory limitation found in the legislation reviewed.

The employment relationship may be for a specified piece of work or of specified duration, seasonal, or of unspecified duration. In the absence of any express stipulation, the relationship is to be deemed to be of unspecified duration.
A contract for a specified piece of work may be made only when such contract is required by the nature of the work (art. 36, FLA).
A contract of a specified duration may be made only in the following cases (art. 37, FLA):
*where the nature of the work to be done so requires;
*when the contract is to provide a temporary substitute for another employee; and
*in the other cases provided for in this Act.

Employment relationships for work in mines lacking in minerals capable of paying the cost of the operation or for the reopening of abandoned or unworked mines may be for a specified period, for a specified piece of work or for the investment of a fixed capital sum (art. 38, FLA).

If on the expiry of the specified period the material to be worked still subsists, the employment relationship continues for as long as this circumstance continues (art. 39, FLA).

No statutory limitation.

No statutory limitation.

Art. 55 LC provides an exhaustive list of situations where FTC are authorized. In any cases, FTC should only be used for the performance of work having a temporary character.

No statutory limitation.

Art. 54 LC: FTC cannot exceed 5 years.

Art. 23 provides that an employment contract shall be either for a specified or an indefinite term.
According to art. 23.2 LC, an contract can be concluded
- for a permanent position for an indefinite term,
- for a specified term agreed upon by the parties;
- in the following cases: temporary replacement of a worker, seasonal or temporary work and probationary or training period in the case of an apprentice.

No statutory limitation on the number of renewals. The LC only provides that if the employee continues performing work after the expiry of the term specified in the FTC and if the parties do not want to terminate such contract, the contract will be deemed renewed for the term for the same period (art. 23.3 LC).

The LC provides for a maximum duration of 5 years for a single contract but does not place any limitation on the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs (art. 25.2 LC).

The New Labour Act regulates fixed-term contracts through article 37 (1) An employment contract may exceptionally be concluded for a definite period of time, the termination of which is determined in advance by a deadline, the execution of a specific job or the occurrence of a specific event.
Article 38

See Article 37 (1) above.

The New Labour Act does not provide limitation for number of renewals, being implicit that as long as the lenght of the contract does not exceed 36 months, there is no limitation of renewals: Article 37 (2) An employer may not conclude one or more employment contracts with the same employee if their duration, continuously or intermittently, is longer than 36 months.

According to article 37 of the new Labour Act, the maximum duration of fixed-term employment agreements is extended from 24 to 36 months. The period in which an employee is temporarily assigned to the employer via an agency for the assignment of employees is also included in the 36-month period. However, the duration of internships and extensions of the term of employment due to pregnancy, maternity leave, parental leave, adoption and foster leave are expressly excluded from the 36-month period. This limitation of the term is not applied to employment agreements with directors and to agreements with an agency on assignment of employees or to employment agreements with athletes (article 39). Additionally, fixed-term employment agreements must contain the basis for the conclusion of such an agreement. According to Paragraph 6, an employment contract may be concluded for a definite period of time and longer than 36 months if this is necessary due to the replacement of a temporarily absent certain employee, seasonal work and work on a specific project until the end of the project.

Art. 16 LC

Exceptions however are provided in Art. 17 LC: When starting-up an enterprise or launching a new product for the first-time in non-agricultural sectors, fixed-term contracts can be concluded for a maximum of 12 months, renewable once.

Art. 17 LC
When opening a business for the first time or a new establishment within the company, or when launching a new product for the first time, in sectors other than agriculture, FTCs can be concluded for a maximum period of one year renewable only once. After this period, the contract becomes in any case for an indefinite period of time.

Article 41 of Labour Act provides about the duration of employment contracts:
1. The employment contract can be concluded for an indefinite period or for a fixed or uncertain term.
2. An employment contract is presumed to have been concluded for an indefinite period, in which the respective
duration, the employer being able to rebut this presumption by proving the temporality or transience of the tasks or activities that are the subject of the employment contract.

See article 40 above.

Article 42 of Labour Act (Limits to fixed-term contract)
1. The fixed-term employment contract is concluded for a period not exceeding two years, which may be renewed twice, by agreement of the parties, without prejudice to the small and medium-sized regime companies.
2. The fixed-term employment contract is considered to have been concluded for an indefinite period in which the periods of its maximum duration or the number of renewals provided for in the preceding paragraph, the parties opt for the regime of paragraph 4 of this article.
3. Small and medium-sized companies will be able to freely enter into fixed-term contracts in the first 10 years of your activity.
4. The execution of fixed-term contracts, outside the cases specially provided for in article 40 of this law, or in breach of the limits provided for in this provision, entitles the worker to compensation under the terms of Article 128 of Labour Act.

See Article 42 above.

Sec. 128(C) LA, as amended by the 2012 Amendment Act does not provide a list of valid reasons for fixed-term contracts, but does establish a legal presumption that an employee is employed indefinitely, unless the employer can establish a justification for employment on a fixed term.

In the Netherlands, as part of anti crisis measures, a new Act, which came into force in July 2010, temporarily extended the possibility to conclude fixed-term contracts with young workers up to 27 years The Act allowed for concluding a total of four, rather than three successive fixed-term employment contracts with regard to this group and for maximum duration of four years rather than three. The Act expired in January 2012. As a result, those specific rules for young workers are no longer applicable.

Art. 7:668, Art. 7:668a and Art. 7:667 CC.

Maximum 3 successive contracts concluded at intervals of less than 6 months: Art. 7:668a(1)(b) CC. (3 months, if agreed by collective agreement, for working activities which cannot be performed by the same employee for more than 9 consecutive months).

For persons, who have reached the legal retirement age, up to 6 consecutive FTCs are permissible.

This limitation does not apply to employment contracts concluded with teachers of vocational guidance courses, or concluded with persons under the age of 18, who do not work more than 12 hours per week.

Applicable to successive contracts concluded at intervals of less than 6 months: Art. 7:668a 1) CC. (3 months, if agreed by collective agreement, for working activities which cannot be performed by the same employee for more than 9 consecutive months).

For persons, who have reached the legal retirement age, up to 48 months of consecutive FTCs are permissible.

This limitation does not apply to employment contracts concluded with teachers of vocational guidance courses, or concluded with persons under the age of 18, who do not work more than 12 hours per week.

See sec. 66 ERA on fixed-term employment:
- According to 66 ERA, an employee and an employer may agree that the employment of the employee will end:
(a) at the close of a specified date or period; or
(b) on the occurrence of a specified event; or
(c) at the conclusion of a specified project.
However, according to the ERA, the employer must have genuine reasons based on reasonable grounds for resorting to fixed-term employment and must advise the employee of when or how his or her employment will end and provide the reasons justifying it.
- Sec. 66(3) ERA provides that the following reasons are not genuine reasons:
(a) to exclude or limit the rights of the employee under the ERA
(b) to establish the suitability of the employee for permanent employment:
(c) to exclude or limit the rights of an employee under the Holidays Act 2003.

No statutory limitations. However, the employer must have genuine reasons based on reasonable grounds for resorting to fixed-term (art. 66(2)a) ERA).

No statutory limitations. However, the employer must have genuine reasons based on reasonable grounds for resorting to fixed-term (art. 66(2)a) ERA).

FTCs are regulated by articles 25, 26 and 27 of Labour Code.
Article 25. The employment relationship or individual contract can be for a determined or indeterminate time.
Article 26. The employment contract is presumed to be concluded for an indefinite period, except when:
a) when the parties agree on a deadline;
b) when the term for the performance of the work or service is a function of their duration;
c) in the case of seasonal or cyclical work without prejudice to the provisions of collective agreements.
Article 27 provides that if a workers keeps working for the same employer for at least 30 days after the term of FTC, the contract will be considered for indefinite term.

Article 26. The employment contract is presumed to be concluded for an indefinite period, except when:
a) when the parties agree on a deadline;
b) when the term for the performance of the work or service is a function of their duration;
c) in the case of seasonal or cyclical work, respecting any provisions of collective agreements.

Article 27 of Labour Code provides that the contract or employment relationship is considered for an indefinite period when it does not have a term. Likewise, when the term of the contract has expired for a specified time and the worker continues to provide his services for an additional thirty days, or when the term of his second extension has expired, continue working or extend it again.

Rules on the use of FTCs are included in Articles 47 and 58-63 LC.

No list of specific reason for resorting to fixed-term contract. However, the use of FTC to fill in, on a lasting basis, positions connected with the normal and permanent activity of an undertaking is prohibited and such contracts would be deemed concluded for a indefinite period. (see art. 58 and 63 LC).

Art. 61 LC regulates FTCs concluded for an unspecified duration: these are permitted if they are concluded for the replacement of a temporarily absent worker, for the length of a season, for an occasional increase in workload or for work that does not form part of the customary activities of the enterprise.

Art. 60 LC does not refer to an unlimited number of renewals and limits to two the maximum number of successive FTCs in providing that "fixed-term contract with a specified duration can be concluded for a maximum period of 2 years, renewable once".

Contracts of a limited duration but with an unspecified term (seasonal work, temporary replacement of a worker, temporary increase volume of work) can however be renewed without any limitation (art. 62 LC).

Before 2012, under the former LC, Article 53 provided that FTCs (with a specified duration) could be renewed without any limitation provided that the total duration of the fixed-term employment relationship did not exceed the maximum duration of 2 years.

Art. 60 LC provides for a maximum cumulative duration of 2 years, renewable once (= in total 48 months).
However, Art. 61 LC provides that the maximum cumulative duration does not apply to contracts concluded a limited but unspecified duration (seasonal work, temporary replacement of a worker, temporary increase volume of work).

No statutory regulations providing for limitations on the number of renewals.

No statutory regulations providing for a maximum duration of successive FTCs.

Art. 46 LRA.

The LRA does not set out any limitation as to the reasons for concluding FTCs. Art. 46(2) states that a fixed term contract concluded for the replacement of a temporary absent employee can be concluded until his/her return.
Note, that prior to the reform in 2008 [Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia no. 106 of 27.08.2008], the LRA limited the use of FTC to the performance of work temporary in nature.

No limitation provided that the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTC concluded for the performance of the same job shall not exceed 5 years (art. 46(1) LRA).

The Labour Relations Act states that the fixed term contract may be concluded with interruptions or without interruption for performing the same job for a maximum period of 5 years. (Art. 46(1) LRA).
Note that prior to the 2008 reform [Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia no. 106 of 27.08.2008], the law provided that a FTC could be concluded for carrying out work which by its nature was of limited duration, with or without interruption, for a maximum period of 4 years.

Art. 14-9 (1) WEA states the following:
An employee shall be appointed permanently. Temporary employment may nevertheless be agreed upon:
a) when the work is of a temporary nature
b) for work as a temporary replacement for another person or persons,
c) for work as a trainee,
d) for participants in labour market schemes under the auspices of or in cooperation with the Labour and Welfare Service,
e) for athletes, coaches, referees and other leaders within organised sports"
f) for a maximum period of twelve months. Such agreements may apply to a maximum of 15 per cent of the employees of the undertaking, rounded off upwards, but temporary appointment may be agreed upon with at least one employee.

According to Art. 14-9 (f) WEA, employees can be employed under fixed-term contracts with a duration of up to 12 months without providing a valid reason, if it is ensured that not more than 15 % of the total number of employees in the enterprise (or not more than 1 employee in enterprises with less than 14 employees) are covered by such FTCs. In case a FTC expires and is not renewed, the employer is however prohibited to employ a different employee under a FTC for the same position during the following 12 months.

Furthermore, Art. 14-9 (a)-(e) WEA contains a list of valid reasons for which the use of fixed term contracts is also permitted: These allow FTCs if the work is of a temporary nature or if the contract is concluded for the temporary replacement of another employee, with a trainee, with participants in labour market schemes under the auspices of or in cooperation with the Labour and Welfare Service or with athletes, trainers, referees and other leaders within organised sports.

Art 14-9 (7) WEA reads as follows:
"(7) Employees who have been temporarily employed for more than four consecutive years pursuant to the second paragraph (a) or for more than three years pursuant to the second paragraph (b) and (f) shall be deemed to be permanently employed so that the provisions concerning termination of employment relationships shall apply. The same applies to employees who have been continuously employed in a temporary post for more than three years pursuant to the second paragraph (a), (b) or (f) or a combination of two or more of the conditions stated respectively in (a), (b) and (f). When calculating the length of consecutive employment, deductions shall not be made for the employee's absence." (this is applicable not merely to absence on grounds of sickness or injury, but also to forms of leave.)

Art. 75 LC: The duration of a contract for a specified period is valid only:
* where the nature of the work performed so permits;
* if it is made for the purpose of temporarily replacing a worker who is on leave, on vacation or absent because of any temporary impediment; or
* in the other cases provided for in the LC.

No statutory limitation on renewals provided that the total duration does not exceed 1 year.
Contracts concluded for a job requiring special technical skills can however be renewed twice within a 3-year-period in the cases where vocational training is provided by the employer: art. 74 LC.

Contracts may be made for an unspecified period, for a specified period of not more than one year, except in the case of services requiring special technical skills, in which case the duration may be stipulated for a maximum of three years: art. 74 LC.

According to article 49, the employment contract can be: of a determined term, for an indefinite time or for a specific work or service. In the absence of an express term, the duration of the contract shall be understood to be that established by custom or for an indefinite period.
The contract concluded for a specified time may not exceed one year for the workers or five years for the employees, and shall conclude by the expiration of the agreed term.
However, any fixed-time contract is subject to express or tacit extension. It will be in the latter way, due to the fact that the worker continues to provide his services after the expiration of the term, without opposition from the employer. The contract for specific works or services will last until the total execution of the one or until the total provision of the others.

See above article 49, which provides the possibility for a fixed-term contract for specific work and service.

Articles 49 provides that as many renewals are possible might be tacit or expressed, within the maximum duration alloweed by law for fixed-term contracts.

Arts 53-71 LPCL list the valid reasons for the use of FTCs (referred to as "contracts subject to special conditions") which fall within 3 categories:
1) Temporary reasons (art. 54 LPCL):
* commencement or launching of a new activity (max. duration of FTC: 3 years)
* increase in market demand (max. duration of FTC: 5 years)
* restructuring of the enterprise in response to the replacement, modification, extension or, in general, any technological change (max. duration of FTC: 2 years)
2) Incidental reasons (art. 55, LPCL):
* transitory needs different from the normal activity (max. duration: 6 months in one year),
* replacement of a worker (max. 5 years)
* emergency contract to cover needs arising from an unforeseen event or force majeure (duration of emergency and max. 5 years)
3) Specific piece of work or service (sec. 56, LPCL):
* performance of a specific piece of work or service (max. 5 years)
* intermittent service contract (max. 5 years)
* seasonal contracts (max. 5 years)
Renewals are allowed within the maximum duration specified above for each contract. A combination of different contracts subject to special conditions is possible provided however that the total cumulative duration does not exceed 5 years (art. 74 LPCL).

No limitation on the number of FTC, as long as the duration of the employment relationship does not exceed 5 years (art. 74 LPCL).

Arts 53-71 LPCL list the valid reasons for the use of FTCs (referred to as "contracts subject to special conditions") which fall within 3 categories:
1) Temporary reasons (art. 54 LPCL):
* commencement or launching of a new activity (max. duration of FTC: 3 years)
* increase in market demand (max. duration of FTC: 5 years)
* restructuring of the enterprise in response to the replacement, modification, extension or, in general, any technological change (max. duration of FTC: 2 years)
2) Incidental reasons (art. 55, LPCL):
* transitory needs different from the normal activity (max. duration: 6 months in one year),
* replacement of a worker (max. 5 years)
* emergency contract to cover needs arising from an unforeseen event or force majeure (duration of emergency and max. 5 years)
3) Specific piece of work or service (sec. 56, LPCL):
* performance of a specific piece of work or service (max. 5 years)
* intermittent service contract (max. 5 years)
* seasonal contracts (max. 5 years)
Renewals are allowed within the maximum duration specified above for each contract. A combination of different contracts subject to special conditions is possible provided however that the total cumulative duration does not exceed 5 years (art. 74 LPCL).

The following categories are used to describe different kinds of fixed-term contracts.

See ILO -TED - National Law Profile, updated in June 2006 by Attorney Jonathan P. Sale:
Art. 296 of the LC provides for the following categories of employment:
* Project - where the employment has been fixed for a specific project or undertaking the completion or termination of which has been determined at the time of the engagement of the employee;
* Seasonal - where the work or services to be performed is seasonal in nature and the employment is for the duration of the season; and
* Casual - where the employment is not covered by the foregoing, provided that an employee who has rendered at least one year of service, whether continuous or broken, shall be considered regular with respect to the activity in which he or she is employed and his or her employment shall continue while the activity exists.

* Another category of employment recognized in jurisprudence is or 'fixed-term employment' (art. 1193 of the CC), which states that obligations with a resolutory period take effect at once, but terminate upon arrival of the 'day certain' (understood to be a day that must necessarily come). The decisive determinant in 'term employment' should not be the activities that the employee is called upon to perform, but the day certain agreed upon by the parties for the commencement and termination of the employment relationship. Stipulations in employment contracts providing for 'term employment' or 'fixed-period employment' are valid when the period has been agreed upon knowingly and voluntarily by the parties, without force, duress or improper pressure exerted on the employee, and when such stipulations were not designed to circumvent the laws on security of tenure.

oArt. 295 of LC: The provisions of written agreement to the contrary notwithstanding and regardless of the oral agreement of the parties, an employment shall be deemed to be regular where the employee has been engaged to perform activities which are usually necessary or desirable in the usual business or trade of the employer, except where the employment has been fixed for a specific project or undertaking the completion or termination of which has been determined at the time of the engagement of the employee or where the work or service to be performed is seasonal in nature and the employment is for the duration of the season. An employment shall be deemed to be casual if it is not covered by the proceeding paragraph: provided that any employee who has rendered at least one year of service, where such service is continuous or broken, shall be considered a regular employee with respect to the activity in which he is employed and his employment shall continue while such activity exists.

Note Department Order No. 174 Series of 2017 contains rules regarding contracting and subcontracting arrangements which are applicable to all parties in an employer-employee relationship, providing for absolute prohibition against labour-only contracting and other illicit forms of employment arrangements (Rules implementing Articles 106-109 LC).

No statutory limitation in the legislation reviewed.

Art. 295 of LC: An employment shall be deemed to be casual if it is not covered by the preceding paragraph: provided that any employee who has rendered at least one year of service, where such service is continuous or broken, shall be considered a regular employee with respect to the activity in which he is employed and his employment shall continue while such activity exists.

Article 25, para. 1, LC provides that a contract of employment shall be concluded for a trial period, for an indefinite term, or for a fixed term.

Not clearly established in the Labour Code.
Art. 29, para. 1-1, LC provides that u201cIf the fixed-term employment contract is concluded for one of the reasons referred to in Art. 25-1, para. 4 (1u20133), or in case referred to in Art. 25-1, para. 4 (4), the employment contract shall determine this reason or circumstance of the case by providing information about objective grounds justifying the conclusion of such contract."
Hence, objective grounds justifying the conclusion of FTC must be provided in the contract if the following types of contracts have been concluded:
1) for the replacement of the temporary absent employee;
2) in order to perform casual or seasonal work;
3) in order to replace a worker during the term of office;
4) if the employer indicates the objective reasons on his part for using a fixed-term employment.

Maximum cumulative duration of FTCs is 33 months and maximum number of successive FTCs is 3 (Article 25-1, para. 1, LC).
If the FTC is concluded contrary to this provision it shall be transformed into an employment contract of an indefinite duration- from the moment of the conclusion of a fourth fixed term contract or following the period longer than 33 months (25-1, para. 3, LC).
Art. 25-1, para. 4, LC provides that the provision of Art. 25-1, para. 1, LC shall not apply to fixed-term contracts of employment concluded:
1) for the replacement of the temporary absent employee;
2) in order to perform casual or seasonal work;
3) in order to replace a worker during the term of office;
4) if the employer indicates the objective reasons on his part for using a fixed-term employment
-- if the FTCs were concluded in order to cover a genuine temporary demand and were necessary in this regard in light of all the circumstances of the conclusion of the contract.

Art. 25-1, para. 1, LC

FTCs are regulated in arts. 139-149 LC. The LC establishes a distinction between FTCs with a fixed date of termination (certain term) and those which date of expiry is not known in advance (uncertain term).

It is worth noting that the statutory rules on FTCs contained in the LC may be waived or modified by collective agreement, with the of the possibility to conclude FTCs with long-term unemployed workers and the rules concerning the maximum (cumulative) duration of FTCs (art. 139 LC). It is no longer possible to use as a reason for FTC the fact that the worker is first jobseeker (previously, these were part of the set of reasons accepted as lawful).

According to art. 140(1) LC, FTCs are only allowed to satisfy temporary needs of the undertaking and for the period strictly necessary to satisfy such needs.

Article 140 LC - Admissibility of a fixed-term employment contract:
1 - The contract of fixed-term work can only be concluded to satisfy the temporary need of the company and for the period strictly necessary to satisfy this need.
2 - In particular, the temporary need of the company is considered:
a) Direct or indirect substitution of a worker who is absent or who is temporarily prevented from working for any reason;
b) Direct or indirect substitution of a worker in respect of whom an action for appraisal of the lawfulness of dismissal is pending in court;
c) Direct or indirect substitution of a worker on leave without remuneration;
d) Substitution of a full-time worker who is engaged in part-time work for a specified period;
e) Seasonal or other activity whose annual production cycle presents irregularities due to the structural nature of the corresponding market, including the supply of raw material;
f) Exceptional increase in the company's activity;
g) Execution of an occasional task or determined service, precisely defined and not lasting;
h) Execution of a definite and temporary work, project or other activity, including the execution, direction or supervision of civil construction, public works, assembly and industrial repairs, under works or direct administration, as well as the corresponding projects or complementary monitoring and control activity.
3 - Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, only an indefinite term contract may be concluded in a situation referred to in any of paragraphs a) to c) or e) to h) of the preceding paragraph.
4 - In addition to the situations provided for in paragraph 1, a fixed-term contract may be concluded for:
a) Launch of new activity of uncertain duration, as well as start of work of company or establishment belonging to a company with less than 750 employees;
b) Employment of employees in search of first employment, long-term unemployment or other employment in special employment policy legislation.
5 - It is up to the employer to prove the facts that justify the conclusion of a fixed-term contract.
6 - Violation of the provisions of any of paragraphs 1 to 4 represents a very serious administrative offense.

New in 2019:
FTCs of certain and uncertain terms may only be renewed three times (art. 148(1) LC) and their duration shall not exceed 2 years for regular FTCs, or 4 years for FTCs with uncertain time.
Art. 182 LC, as amended by law 93/2019: A temporary fixed-term contract shall not be subject to the limit of Article 148 LC and, as long as the supporting reason remains, may be renewed up to six times.
A fixed-term temporary employment contract entered into to replace an absent worker, without the employer being responsible for his absence -- namely in cases of illness, accident, parental leave and other similar situations -- is not subject to the limit of renewals.

New in 2019:
2 years, for regular FTCs; 4 years, for FTCs with uncertain time

The minimum duration of the contract must be 6 months, except of the cases covered in the sub items "a" and "g" of item 2 of article 140:
Article 140: Admissibility of FTC
2 - It is considered, namely, as temporary need:
a) Direct or indirect replacement of absent worker or that, for any reason, is unable to work;
g) Performance of an occasional task or certain precisely defined and short-term service;

Article 140 (3), LC limits the possibility of FTC for uncertain time to cases such as named by subparagraphs "a", "c", "e" and "h" of item 2:

3) Also considering what is referred in the item 1 (temporary needs), an uncertain term FTC can only be possible in the cases named by subparagraphs "a", "c", "e" and "h":

a) Direct or indirect replacement of absent worker or that, for any reason, is unable to work;
c) who is taking an unpaid leave of absence;
e) Seasonal activity or activities with irregular production cycles due to the structural nature of the market;
h) Execution of work, project or precisely defined and temporary activity, including the implementation, management or supervision of civil engineering, public works, industrial installations and repairs, in contract work regime or direct administration.

Article 140 (4) "a" and "b", LC considers FTC lawful in cases of long-term job seekers and in cases of start of new activity with uncertain term and commencement of activities of a new enterprise with less than 250 employees. It is no longer possible to include first jobseekers in the list of lawful possibilities for FTC.

Article 142, LC limits Very Short/Casual contracts from 15 to 35 days each contract, resulting in maximum 70 days per year, irrespectively the economic sector.

Article 148, (1) and (5), LC limits the duration of FTC of certain time to 2 years and to FTC for uncertain time to 4 years (items 1 and 5).

Arts. 12 LC, arts. 82-87 LC. (former Arts. 80-86)

Art. 83 LC (former art. 81), as amended in March 2011 provides that FTC can only be concluded in the following instances:
a) replacement of an employee when his/her work contract has been suspended, unless that employee participates in a strike;
b) temporary increase and/or modification of the employer's work structure. [previously: temporary increase of the employer's activity];
c) performance of a seasonal activity;
d) when it has been concluded under legal provisions issued in order to temporarily benefit certain categories of unemployed persons;
e) employment of a person who, within 5 years from the date of employment, fulfils the old age retirement conditions;
f) filling in an elective position within trade unions, employers' organizations or non-governmental organizations, during the mandate;
g) employment of retired persons who, under the terms of the law, may cumulate the retirement benefit with the wage;
e) in other cases explicitly provided in special laws or for the development of works, projects or programmes.

Art. 82(3),(4), (5) LC:
(3) The individual fixed term employment contract can be also extended in circumstances provided in art. 83 after the initial deadline expires, with the parts written agreement during the time period of developing a project, programme or work.
(4) The same parts can sign successively no more than 3 individual employment contracts on fixed term.
(5) The individual employment contracts on fixed term concluded within 3 months from the termination of an employment contract on fixed term are considered successive contracts and cannot be longer than 12 months each.

Art. 82 LC (former art. 80)

The maximum cumulative duration of fixed-term employment contract has increased from 24 to 36 months. However this 36 month period can be extended in specific cases (up to the finalization of a project, programme or works) subject to the parties' written consent. (Art. 82.3 LC)

Article 59 of the Labour Code lists the cases where the use of fixed-term contracts are authorised

Article 58 of the Labour Code

Article 58 of the Labour Code

Art. 11 LL provides that an employment contract can be for a fixed term or indefinite.

The LC does not require any valid reason for the use of FTC.

No statutory limitation on the maximum duration of successive FTCs.

However, note Section 12 (5) Labour Act: Where the purpose or effect of a contract of employment that is purportedly for a specified period of time or for a specified task is the filling of a post connected with the normal and permanent activity of the enterprise for a period of over two years of continuous employment as defined under this Code, it shall be deemed a contract without reference to limit of time.

Sec. 55 LL

Art. 55(2) LL.

Art. 55 (2) LL: If the original contract term and the renewal period amount to three years and the two parties continues to implement it, the contract shall become an indefinite term contract.
See art. 37 LL on foreign workers.

No list of specific reasons for resorting to fixed-term contract (art. L41 LC).
However, the use of a FTC to fill in, on a lasting basis, positions connected with the normal and permanent activity of an undertaking is prohibited and such contract would be deemed concluded for a indefinite period (see art. L45 LC).

Art. L 42 (1) LC.
However, art. L42 and L43 LC establish exceptions to this rule for some categories of workers (agricultural workers, dockers, some seasonal workers) which are governed by specific regulations, and for some temporary activities.
In addition FTCs concluded for the execution of a specified piece of work are not renewable (Art. L44 LC).

Art. L42 LC. No worker may conclude more than two FTCs with the same employer or renew a FTC more than once.
Art. L44 (2) LC. An FTC cannot be concluded for more than two years.
This limitation does not apply to FTCs concluded for the execution of a specified piece of work; such contracts are however not renewable.

Article 37 (1) of Labour Code:

An employment contract may be concluded for a definite period of time, for establishment of employment whose duration is predetermined by objective reasons that are justified by the time period or execution of a certain chore, or occurrence of a specific event, during existence of those reasons.

See above article 37 (1)

Article 37 only provides limitation of maximum cumulative duration, being silent on the number of successive contracts.

Article 37

(2) An employer may conclude one or more employment contracts referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article on the basis of which the employment relationship with the same employees is concluded for the period that with or without interruptions may not be longer than 24 months.

(3) Interruption shorter than 30 days shall not be considered as an interruption of the period referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article


(4) Notwithstanding paragraph 2 of this Article, an employment contract for a definite period of time may be concluded:

1) If it is necessary for replacement of a temporarily absent employee, until his return;
2) For working on a project whose time is predetermined, no longer than the end of the project;
3) With a foreign citizen, on the basis of a work permit in accordance with the law, no longer than the expiry of the work permit;
4) to perform the activities at a newly established employer registered at the competent authority no longer than one year prior to the moment of conclusion of the employment contract, for a time period not longer than 36 months;
5) with an unemployed person which lacks up to five years to fulfill of one of the preconditions for retirement, no longer than such requirement is fulfilled, in accordance with the regulations on retirement and disability insurance.

Termination of contract
Art. 9 EA.u2014(1) A contract of service for a specified piece of work or for a specified period of time shall, unless otherwise terminated inaccordance with the provisions of this Part, terminate when the work specified in the contract is completed or the period of time for which the contract was made has expired.
(2) A contract of service for an unspecified period of time shall be deemed to run until terminated by either party in accordance with the provisions of this Part.

No statutory limitation in the legislation reviewed.

No statutory limitation in the legislation reviewed.

Act No. 361/2012 Coll. amending Act No. 311/2001 Coll. Labour Code, as amended (and amending and supplementing certain acts) resulted in a return to the regulation of the length of fixed-term contracts, which was before the adoption of Act No. 257/2011 Coll..

As stated below, in principle, a fixed-term employment relationship may be extended or renewed at most twice within a two years period (Article 48 paragraph 2 of the LC).
However, a further extension or renewal of the fixed-term employment relationship to two years or over two years can be agreed for the reasons specified under Article 48, paragraph 4, of the LC. (and under Article 48, paragraph 6, of the LC).

To be noted: A renewed fixed-term employment relationship is an employment relationship beginning less than six months after the end of the previous fixed-term employment relationship between the same parties.u201c (Article 48 paragraph 3 of the LC).

Since 1st January 2013, pursuant to Article 48, paragraph 2, of the Labour Code, in principle, a fixed-term employment relationship may be agreed for at most two years. A fixed-term employment relationship may be extended or renewed at most twice within a two years period.

However, according to Article 48, paragraph 4, of the Labour Code a further extension or renewal of the fixed-term employment relationship to two years or over two years can be agreed only in the following reasons:
a) substitution of an employee during maternity leave, parental leave, leave immediately linked to maternity leave or parental leave, temporary incapacity for work or an employee who has been given long term leave to perform a public function or trade union function,
b) the performance of work in which it is necessary to increase significantly the number of employees for a temporary period not exceeding eight months in the calendar year,
c) the performance of works which depend on rotation of seasonal cycles during the year, they are repeated every year and do not exceed eight months in a calendar year (seasonal work),
d) the performance of works agreed in a collective agreement.

Furthermore, according to Article 48, paragraph 6, of the Labour Code, a further extension or renewal of an employment relationship for a fixed term of up to two years or over two years can be agreed with a teacher in higher education or a creative employee in science, research or development also if there are objective reasons relating to the character of the activities of the teacher in higher education or creative employee in science, research or development as stipulated in special regulation.u201c.

To be noted : Under Article 48, paragraph 3, of the Labour Code, u201eA renewed fixed-term employment relationship is an employment relationship beginning less than six months after the end of the previous fixed-term employment relationship between the same parties.u201c.

Art. 54 (1) ERA contains an exhaustive list of situations when resorting to fixed-term contract is authorized:
- work which, by its nature takes a certain period of time,
- replacement of a temporarily absent worker,
- temporarily increased workload,
- employment of an alien or a stateless person who has a single license as provided by law, which regulates the entry and residence of foreigners and permission to seasonal work as laid down by the law governing employment, self-employment and work of foreigners, except when a single permit issued on the basis of consent for employment, self-employment or work,
- management person or procurator,
- manager of the first paragraph of Article 74 of this Law,
- seasonal work,
- a worker who concluded an employment contract for a limited time to prepare for work, training or training for work or education,
- fixed-term employment for work during the adjustment period on the basis of a final decision and confirmed by the competent authority, issued in process of recognition under a special act,
- carrying out public works or inclusion in active employment policy measures, in accordance with the law,
- preparation and execution of the work, which is a project organized,
- work required at the time of the introduction of new programs, new technology and other technical and technological improvements of the working process or for training workers,
- handing over the work,
- elected and appointed officials or other employees who have a mandate or official in local communities, political parties, trade unions, chambers, associations and their federations,
- other cases determined by law or collective agreement on the level of activity

Paragraph 2 - A collective agreement at the level of an activity may be determined to allow a minor employer to conclude a fixed-term employment contract, notwithstanding the limits laid down in the preceding paragraph.

Paragraph 2 of Article 55 provides that renewals are only lawful if the leght of 24 months is not exceeded. However, there is not disposition in relation to limitation of renewals within this period: (2) An employer may not conclude one or more consecutive contracts of employment for a fixed term for the same work, the continuous duration would be longer than two years, except in cases provided for by law, and in the case of the second, fourth, fifth , sixth and fourteenth indents of the first paragraph of the preceding article. The employment contract for a fixed period by reason of the transfer of work may take up to one month.

Article 55 provides that the maximum lenght of FTC is 24 months and renewals are not allowed for the same work if this limit is exceeded. However, paragraphs 2 and 4 considered lawful renewals beyond this limit when verified ths following situations:
ii) replacement of a temporarily absent worker;
iv)employment of an alien or a stateless person who has a single license as provided by law, which regulates the entry and residence of foreigners and permission to seasonal work as laid down by the law governing employment, self-employment and work of foreigners, except when a single permit issued on the basis of consent for employment, self-employment or work;
v) management person or procurator;
vi) manager (paragraph 1 of article 74 of ERA)
xiv) elected and appointed officials or other employees who have a mandate or official in local communities, political parties, trade unions, chambers, associations and their federation.

According to paragraph 4, notwithstanding the restrictions specified in this article, in the case of the eleventh item of the first paragraph of the preceding Article 54 (preparation and execution of the work, which is a project organized), a contract of employment for a fixed period concluded for a period longer than two years if the project lasts more than two years and if the contract employment concluded for the entire duration of the project. A collective agreement on the level of activity to determine what is considered to be a project work.

No statutory limitation.

No maximum number specified in the legislation. However, under the LRA an employer who fails to renew a fixed-term contract, when a 'reasonable expectation' that it will be renewed is held by the employee, is deemed to have dismissed the employee.

No statutory limitation.

Fixed-term contracts can be concluded in limited situations:
- Temporary increase in workload : When business demands are high and resources are stretched or there is backlog, even though the work maybe within the normal activity of the enterprise. In such cases, contracts can be concluded for a maximum of 6 months within a twelve-month period. In some cases, the maximum length can be up to 18 months if worker's union agreement so stipulates (art. 15(1)b) ET);
- Specific project or service: the worker is hired to undertake an autonomous and specifically delimited project or to provide service the execution of which, although limited is of uncertain duration (art. 15(1)a) ET).
- Replacement of a worker: When the contractor substitutes a worker entitled to return to work after leave (art. 15(1)c) ET).
In addition to these above-mentioned objective reasons, FTC can be concluded for the following reasons: training purposes, employment of workers with disabilities and replacement of workers on the verge of retirement. The rules governing those contracts will not be further studied here.

As from 2013, temporary contracts can be entered with young people without work experience and under 30 years of age even if the job is of a permanent nature (art. 12 Law 11/2013).

The maximum number of FTC depends on the reason for which the contract was concluded.
- If it is concluded to address temporary increase in the workload, the fixed-term contract can be extended or renewed only once, within the maximum duration (6 months in any 12-month period which can be extended to 12 month in any 18-month period by collective agreement) [Art. 15 (1)b) ET].
- There are no limitations with regards to the number of renewal of FTC concluded for other objective reasons (specific project or service, replacement).

The maximum duration of a single FTC depends on the reason for which the contract was concluded.
- If it is concluded to address a temporary increase in workload, the maximum duration is 6 months in any 12-month period which can be extended to 12 months in any 18-month period by collective agreement [Art. 15 (1)b) ET].
There used to be no specific limitations on the maximum cumulative duration of FTC concluded for other objective reasons (specific project or service, replacement).

Article 15(1)a) ET establishes a limitation on the maximum duration of fixed-term contract concluded for the performance of a specific job or service: the maximum duration is 3 years, and may be extended to 4 years by sectoral collective agreement or, alternatively, by sector-wide collective agreement. After this period has elapsed, if the worker continues providing services, he or she acquires the status of permanent employees.

With regard to cumulative duration of successive FTCs, art. 15(5) ET stipulates that an employee who, within a 30-month period has been employed in the same position in the same undertaking through 2 or more fixed-term contracts for more than 24 months in total, either directly or through a temporary employment agency, shall become a permanent employee.

As a result of the labour market reform (Law 35/2010, but already provided in the RDL 10/2010), this rule now applies to workers in different positions employed not only in the same undertaking but also in undertakings belonging to the same group.

Employment contracts are governed by common law. There are no provisions on fixed-term contract or probationary period in the legislation.
With regards to termination of employment, the IDA and the TEWA define "worker" broadly and do not distinguish between probationary and fixed-term workers.

No statutory limitation.

No statutory limitation.

No statutory limitation.

According to sec. 5 EPA, a contract of employment for a fixed-term may be concluded: 1) for a general fixed-term employment, 2) for a temporary substitute employment, 3) for a seasonal employment, 4) when the employee has attained the age of 67.

FTC for the purpose of 'general fixed-term employment' can be concluded with no valid reason.

Sec. 5a EPA: u201cA fixed-term employment is transformed into indefinite-term employment when an employee has been employed on a general fixed-term contract for a total of more than 2 years: 1) during a five year period, or 2) during a period when the employee has had successive fixed-term employment in the form of a general fixed-term employment, a temporary substitute employment or seasonal employment.
Successive fixed-term employment occurs if the employment started within six months from the last day of the previous employment.
A temporary substitute employment turns into indefinite-term employment when an employee has been employed by the employer for a temporary substitute employment for in aggregate more than two years during a five year period (SFS 2016: 248)u201d.

Art. 334 CO.

However, existence of safeguards.
1) According to Art. 334 CO, if a fixed-term contract is tacitly renewed, it is deemed concluded for an indefinite duration.
2) Art. 2, al 2 Civil code on fraud has been interpreted as preventing the use of "chain contracts" when not justified by any objective reason and aiming at circumventing the terms and conditions of dismissals prescribed by law or the application (case law of the Federal Tribunal).

However, existence of safeguards.
1) According to Art. 334 CO, if a fixed-term contract is tacitly renewed, it is deemed concluded for an indefinite duration.
2) Art. 2, al 2 Civil code on fraud has been interpreted as preventing the use of "chain contract" when not justified by any objective reason and aiming at circumventing the terms and conditions of dismissals prescribed by law or the application (case law of the Federal Tribunal).

However, existence of safeguards.
1) According to Art. 334 CO, if a fixed-term contract is tacitly renewed, it is deemed concluded for an indefinite duration.
2) Art. 2, al 2 Civil code on fraud has been interpreted as preventing the use of "contrats en chau00eene" when not justified by any objective reason and aiming at circumventing the terms and conditions of dismissals prescribed by law or the application (case law of the Federal Tribunal).

Art. 50 and 54 LL

Art. 50 LL.

Art. 54 LL.

Art. 54 LL: "Fixed-term employment contracts shall automatically lapse at expiry date thereof. However, they may be extended by express mutual agreement for a specified term or additional terms. Whenever the initial and extended terms of the contract exceed five years, the employment contract shall become a contract with an unspecified term, provided that aggregate interruptions during such period do not exceed four months".

Update as of 2016: Modalities of FTCs are prescribed in Art. 25 LC.
- Art. 25(6) states that the LC prohibits fixed term employment contract to evade guarantees and compensations provided for workers.
- Further, Art. 25 (7) states that after the end of the FTC, unless either of the parties ask for termination of labour relationships, the contract will be considered non-fixed term.

Art. 25 LC states that fixed term contracts (FTCs) may be concluded for at least one year, except in the cases of the replacement of a temporary absent employee, for the performance of a specific task or for performing a seasonal work.
Fixed term contracts can be concluded in cases where contracts for an indefinite period cannot be concluded with regard to the nature of the work or the conditions of its execution, or the interests of the employee, as well as in the cases stipulated by law.

Update as of 2016:
Now, Art 25(1) LC provides that FTCs shouldnu2019t be for more than a year unless the contract was for seasonal work (which can be up to 6 months).

Under the Code of Good Practice of 2007, the failure to renew a fixed-term contract where the worker reasonably expects a renewal of the contract may be considered an unfair termination. However, in order to succeed in a claim of reasonable expectation of renewal, the employee must demonstrate that there is an objective basis for the expectation, such as previous renewals or the employer's undertaking to renew. (Rule 4, paras. (4) and (5))

Article 14(b) ELRA provides for the possibility to conclude "a contract for a specified period of time for professionals and managerial cadre".

The Employment and Labour Relations (General) Regulations, 2017 were enacted to improve the implementation of ELRA. Art. 11 of the Regulations provides that a contract for a specified period referred to under section 14(1)(b) of ELRA shall not be for a period of less than twelve months.

See art. 118 LPA, art. 581 CCC and art. 17 and 17/1 LPA, as amended by LPA- No.2 of 2008 and LPA-No.7 of 2019.
Art. 17/1 LPA deals with termination without prior notice.

Fixed term contracts are defined in art. 118 LPA in connection with the right to severance pay which does not apply to employees with a fixed-term contract.
Pursuant to the same provision fixed term employment under is allowed for employment in specific projects which do not fall within not the normal activities of the employer's business or trade, and which required a definite to start and end the work, or for occasional work or for seasonal work. Such work must be completed within a period of not more than two years, and the employer shall enter into a written contract with the employee upon commencement of employment.

No limitation on the maximun number of FTCs.
According to art. 581 of the CCC, "if after the end of the agreed period the employee continues to render services and the employer knowing thereof does not object, the parties are presumed to have made a new contract on the same terms, but either party can terminate the contract by giving notice."

See art 118 LPA: Fixed term work must be completed within a period of not more than two years.

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).
____________________________________
L'article 6-4 du Code du travail dispose que le contrat de travail u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e peut u00eatre conclu dans les cas suivants :
- l'accomplissement de travaux de premier u00e9tablissement ou de travaux neufs ;
- l'accomplissement de travaux nu00e9cessitu00e9s par un surcrou00eet extraordinaire de travail ;
- le remplacement provisoire d'un travailleur permanent absent ou dont le contrat de travail est suspendu ;
- l'accomplissement de travaux urgents pour pru00e9venir des accidents imminents, effectuer des opu00e9rations de sauvetage ou pour ru00e9parer des du00e9fectuositu00e9s dans le matu00e9riel, les u00e9quipements ou les bu00e2timents de l'entreprise ;
- l'exu00e9cution de travaux saisonniers ou d'autres activitu00e9s pour lesquelles ne peut u00eatre fait recours, selon l'usage ou de par leur nature, au contrat u00e0 duru00e9e indu00e9terminu00e9e.

Toutefois, le paragraphe 2 ajoute que "le contrat de travail u00e0 duru00e9e du00e9terminu00e9e peut u00e9galement u00eatre conclu, dans des cas autres que ceux indiquu00e9s au paragraphe pru00e9cu00e9dent, sur accord entre l'employeur et le travailleur et u00e0 condition que la duru00e9e de ce contrat nu2019excu00e8de pas quatre ans y compris ses renouvellements."

- 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

Art. 18 LC

Art. 11 LA: A fixed-term contract shall be based on objective conditions like the completion of a certain work or the materialization of a certain event.
An employment contract for a definite period must not be concluded more than once, except when there is an essential reason which may necessitate repeated (chain) contracts. Otherwise, the employment contract is deemed to have been made for an indefinite period from the very beginning. Chain contracts based on essential reasons shall maintain their status as contracts made for a definite period.

No limitation provided that there is an essential reason for each renewal (art. 11 LA).

No limitation provided that there is an essential reason for each renewal (art. 11 LA).

No provision in the legislation reviewed.

No provision in the legislation reviewed.

No provision in the legislation reviewed.

Part two, Article 23 CLL of Ukraine allows using fixed-term employment agreement only when labour relations cannot be established for an indefinite term considering the character of the work to be done or its conditions or the worker's interests, and in other cases provided for by law.

According to Article 39 CLL, if labour relations actually continue after expiration of the employment agreement and none of the parties demands their termination, validity of such agreement is deemed as extended for an indefinite term. Labour agreements that were re-concluded for one or more times, except as provided for by part two, Article 23 CLL, are deemed as extended for an indefinite term.

See art. 38 FLLR.

The law does not set out any limitation on the reasons for which a FTC can be concluded.

Art. 38 FLLR provides that a contract concluded for a limited period can be renewed one or more times for similar or shorter periods by mutual agreement.

Art.38 FLLR provides for a maximum duration of 4 years for a single FTC. However, there are no statutory limitations on the maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs.

FTCs are regulated by the Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 [FTER].

The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 [FTER], with effect from 1st October 2002 stipulate that a fixed-term employee shall become a permanent employee after four years of continuous employment under one or successive fixed-term contracts (reg. 8 (2) a)).
However, this statutory four-year limit does not apply if employment on a fixed-term contract can be justified on objective grounds, or if the period of four years has been lengthened under a collective or workplace agreement (reg. 8 (2) b) and 8 (5) FTER).

The Fixed-term Employees (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2002 [FTER], with effect from 1st October 2002 stipulate that a fixed-term employee shall become a permanent employee after four years of continuous employment under one or successive fixed-term contracts (reg. 8 (2) a)).
However, this statutory four-year limit does not apply if employment on a fixed-term contract can be justified on objective grounds, or if the period of four years has been lengthened under a collective or workplace agreement (reg. 8 (2) b) and 8 (5) FTER).

There is no federal legislation distinguishing between different kinds of employment contracts (including in regard to termination of employment). In general, the term of an employment contract is decided by the parties to the contract.

Employees represented by a union are usually covered by a collective-bargaining agreement that may have provisions constraining the employer's use of part-time or temporary employees. However, such provisions do not appear in all collective-bargaining agreements.

There is no statutory regulation. Collective agreements and jurisprudence provide that FTCs are only permitted for objective or material reasons, when the task to be performed is of limited duration.

Although there is no statutory provision on maximum duration of FTCs, most of the collective agreements provide and jurisprudence recognizes that the maximum duration of 1 FTC is of 6 months, and only 1 renewal is allowed, making the maximum cumulated duration of 12 months.

Art. 76 LC provides that fixed-term contracts may be concluded:
- in cases where contracts for an indefinite period cannot be concluded with regard to the nature of the work, the conditions for its implementation or the interests of the employee;
- with the director, his/her deputies, or a chief accountant, and in the absence of the company's chief accountant - with the employee performing the functions of the chief accountant;
- in other cases as stipulated by law.

Art. 75 LC provides that the employment contract may be concluded:
- for an indefinite period;
- for a specified period not exceeding five years;
- for the duration of a specific job.
If an employment contract does not stipulate the validity period, it is presumed that the contract is concluded for an indefinite period. (Art. 75 LC)

A contract is deemed to be of indeterminate duration if the parties do not explicitly state the desire to be bound by an employment relationship solely for a specified task or for a specified period. A contract is presumed to be for an undetermined period of time, therefore, FTC are considered exceptional and its regulatory provisions must be restrictively interpreted (art. 61 et seq., OLL).

Art. 64 OLL provides that FTCs can only be concluded a) if so required by the nature of the service; b) for a temporary and lawful replacement of a worker; c) contracts concluded with Venezuelan nationals for the performance of services abroad d) when the task for which the employee was contracted has not been completed.
If an FTC is done under other circumstances, it will be considered null.

Art. 62OLL: In the event of two renewals, the contract is considered to be of indeterminate duration, except if there are special reasons that justify such extension and exclude any intention to continue the relationship.

Art. 62: In a FTC, workers cannot be bounded for more than one year.
However, if the contract is concluded for a specified task, it will last for the time required for execution of the work and will end with the conclusion of the work. (Art. 63)

Art. 27 (3) LC forbids the use of employment contracts for a seasonal job or a specific job with a duration of less than 1 year to undertake a job of a permanent nature, except for the temporary replacement of a worker performing military obligation, on parental leave or for other reasons.

See art. 27 LC and Art. 4 (4) Decree 2003: Upon expiry of a FTC, a new FTC may be concluded for a period not exceeding 36 months; and if after that period the worker continues to work, an indefinite term contract of employment must be signed.

Art. 27 LC and 4 (4) Decree 2003.

There are no statutory limitations with regard to the use and the renewal of fixed term contract.
Art. 29 (1) LC stipulates that the duration of a Yemeni worker's contract shall be considered unlimited unless otherwise specified by agreement between the two parties.

There are no statutory limitations with regard to renewal of fixed term contract in the LC.
Art. 29 (2) LC stipulates that a contract of employment shall be considered valid for the same duration as that initially provided for if, upon expiry, the employment relationship between the two parties effectively continues.

There are no statutory limitations in the LC with regard to the possibility of renewing a fixed term contract.
Art. 29 (2) LC stipulates that if, upon expiry of a fixed term contract, the employment relationship between the two parties effectively continues, the new contract of employment shall be considered valid for the same duration.

Fixed-term contract is, according to Section 3 EA, as amended by section 2(a) of 2015 Amendment, a contract of service for:

a) a period exceeding twelve months, renewable for a further term, subject to section twenty-eight C; or
b) the performance of a specific task or project to be undertaken over a specified period of time; and whose termination is fixed in advance by both parties.

Employment Act (Amendment) No 15 of 2015 introduced sections 28A, 28B and 28C to the principal Act, regulating short term and fixed term contracts. A fixed-term contract is, according to Section 3 EA, as amended by section 2(a) of 2015 Amendment, a contract of service for:

a) a period exceeding twelve months, renewable for a further term, subject to section twenty-eight C; or
b) the performance of a specific task or project to be undertaken over a specified period of time; and whose termination is fixed in advance by both parties.

Note that there is a thin difference between the categories of u201ccasual employeeu201d, u201cshort-termu201d worker and u201cfixed-term contractu201d: Where a casual employee continues to be employed after the expiration of 6 months temporal limit, the employee ceases to be a casual employee and the contract is deemed to be a short-term contract (section 28A EA, added by 2015 Amendment). If an employee is engaged on a short-term contract and continues to be employed on expiry of this contract (in excess of 12 months), the contract is deemed to be a fixed term contract (section 28B EA, added by 2015 Amendment). On the expiry of cumulative period of fixed term contract, the contract of service is deemed to be a permanent contract (Section 28C EA, added by 2015 Amendment).

A causal employee (Art. 3EA as amended in 2015):
- is not permanent in nature;
- does not require any skill in the performance of the work to be done
- terms provide for payment at an hourly rate, payable at the end of each day,
And excludes, according to the new section 12(A)(1): (i) work under a consultancy agreement (ii) piece work (iii) seasonal work (iv) temporary employment (v) part term employment and (vi) flexibilization. Note that the provisions relating to casualisation do not apply to Micro and Small Business enterprise except if the undertaking shall comply with the MWCEA with respect to its employee (Section 3 of the Employment (Amendment) Act of 2015, adding Section 12A to EA)

On the other hand, a u201cshort termu201d contract is defined in the 2015 amendment as: contract of service of six months but not exceeding twelve months.

There is not a maximum number of successive FTCs, however the 2015 Amendment, section 28C (1) refers to a cumulative temporal maximum: FTC may be renewed for subsequent terms, except that the cumulative duration of the successive fixed-term contracts of employment with an employer shall be as prescribed.

Note sec. 19 EA which relates to the renewal of an oral contract not exceeding 1 month:
"Each party to an oral contract for a period not exceeding one month shall, on the termination of such contract, be conclusively presumed to have entered into a new oral contract for a further period of the same duration and subject to the same terms and conditions as those of the contract then terminated unless-
(a) notice to terminate the employment under section twenty has been given by either party and the period of notice has expired; or
(b) the contract has been terminated by payment in lieu of notice; or
(c) the contract has been summarily terminated by either party for lawful cause; or
(d) the contract has been otherwise lawfully terminated under the provisions of this Act:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to-
(i) contracts expressed to be terminable without notice or to which this section does not apply;
(ii) contracts specifically expressed to be for one period of fixed duration and not to be renewable;
(iii) daily contracts where the wages are paid daily."

No statutory provision regulating renewals of written contracts.