References
Labour Code [LC], 06 July 2004 (Loi n° 2004-017 portant Code du travail - Available in French).
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Scope
Size of enterprises excluded (≤): none
Workers' categories excluded: civil/public servants, other
Art. 1 (3) LC. Officials appointed in a permanent framework of public administration as well as contractual agents of the state and public administrative institutions are not subject to this code.
FTC regulated: Yes
Art. 15 LC. Is considered fixed term contract:
- one whose duration is defined precisely by the parties by means of a time unit;
- the one with a term formed by a date calendar;
- that the term is conditional on a future event and some whose date is not exactly known;
- that concluded for the execution of a works contract where the realization of a company whose duration can not be assessed accurately.
Valid reasons for FTC use: no limitation
Art.16 LC. Conditions of employment for fixed term contracts are fixed by decree after consultation with the National Council of Labour, Employment and Social Security.
: 2
Art. 16 LC. No employer may conclude with the same worker successively and without interruption, more than two fixed-term contracts or renew more than once a fixed term contract.
Maximum cumulative duration of successive FTCs: 2year(s)
Art. 17 LC. No contract can be concluded for a fixed period exceeding two years including renewal.
Maximum probationary (trial) period (in months): 6 month(s)
Art. 10 LC. The probationary period can not exceed, including renewals six months for all workers; however this maximum probationary period is twelve months for workers who have kept habitual residence outside the territory of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and for workers hired as scope as defined by collective agreements or regulations.
Note: These probationary periods only apply in the absence of statutory provisions or clauses of collective agreements more favorable.
Excluded from protection against dismissal: Yes
Art. 13 LC. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the probationary period may be terminated unilaterally at any time by either party without notice and without compensation.
Obligation to provide reasons to the employee: Yes
Valid grounds (justified dismissal):
Prohibited grounds: maternity leave, temporary work injury or illness, race, sex, religion, political opinion, nationality/national origin, age, trade union membership and activities, performing military or civil service, participation in a lawful strike, lawfully taking leave
Art. 60 LC. The dismissals without just cause, as such dismissals motivated by political or religious worker's membership or non-membership of a trade union, gender, age, race, national origin, color, religion, are abusive.
In addition, the art. 38 LC states that a worker cannot be dismissed:
-in case of military service or civil service of the employer and during the statutory period of compulsory military or civic worker,
- for the duration of absence from work due to illness or non-occupational accident recorded by medical certificate;
- during the downtime resulting from an accident at work or an occupational disease;
- during the strike and look out if they are activated in accordance with the procedure for settlement of collective disputes;
- during the period of maternity leave;
- during the mourning period of an employed woman whose husband has died;
- during the pilgrimage to the holy places.
Art. 40 LC. During the period of maternity leave, the employer cannot dismiss a female employee.
Workers enjoying special protection: workers' representatives, pregnant women and/or women on maternity leave
Art. 40 LC. Throughout the period of maternity leave, the employer can not dismiss a female employee.
Art. 125 LC.The authorization of the labor inspector is required before any dismissal of a workers' representative proposed by the employer.
Notification to the worker to be dismissed: written
Art. 46 LC. Before dismissal, the employer must inform the employee in writing, stating the grounds alleged and inviting him to provide explanations in writing within forty-eight hours.
Pay in lieu of notice: Yes
Art. 50 LC. Failure of the notice period creates an obligation for the party responsible to pay to the other party a compensation called "pay in lieu of notice".
Notification to the public administration: Yes
Art. 45 LC. Any employer who wishes to dismiss an employee engaged for a fixed term contract must inform the labour inspector of the spring.
Notification to workers' representatives: No
Approval by public administration or judicial bodies: No
Approval by workers' representatives: No
Definition of collective dismissal (number of employees concerned) No definition of collective dismissal.
Art. 55 LC. Any individual or collective dismissal for economic reasons resulting in one or more job losses is subject to the rules of procedure of dismissal for economic reasons.
Notification to the public administration Yes
Art. 57 (1) LC. For their suggestions, the employer must inform, in writing, the workers representatives by providing them the reasons of terminations contemplated, the categories of employees likely to be dismissed and the their order of dismissal.
Notification to trade union (workers' representatives) Yes
Art. 57 (3) LC. The employer is required to notify to the labor inspection the plans of dismissal for economic reasons as well as a copy of the letter sent to staff representatives and their opinion.
Notification to workers' representatives: Yes
Art. 57 (1) LC. For their suggestions, the employer must inform, in writing, the workers representatives by providing them the reasons of terminations contemplated, the categories of employees likely to be dismissed and the their order of dismissal.
Approval by trade union (workers' representatives) Yes
Art. 57 (5) LC. The dismissal is void if the employer does not comply with the opinion of the labour inspector.
Approval by workers' representatives No
Art. 56 (2) LC. The opinion of staff representatives is not binding on the employer.
Priority rules for collective dismissals (social considerations, age, job tenure) Yes
Art. 56 LC. The order of dismissal established by the employer must takE into account the qualifications, seniority in the company and family responsibilities of workers.
Employer's obligation to consider alternatives to dismissal (transfers, retraining...) Yes
Art. 59 (1) LC. The worker dismissed for economic reasons keep for a year, priority hiring in the same job category.
Priority rules for re-employment No
The art. 61 of the LC provides that severance pay is optionally provided by law, the regulations, the contract or collective agreement.
mine workers: No
Art. 61 LC. No statutory provisions in the LC, however, the amount of compensation for unfair dismissal is determined taking into account all the elements that can justify the existence and determine the extent of the injury.
police: Yes
Art. 292 LC. Prior to any judicial proceedings, the parties must resort to extra-judicial conciliation before the Labour Inspectorate.
Art. 306 LC. Labour courts are competent to hear actions arising from individual disputes between employers and workers related to an employment contract
Existing arbitration: Yes
Art. 350 LC. The Minister of Labour may decide to submit the collective dispute to arbitration.
See art. 351 LC. The arbitration board is composed as follow:
- A chairman of the Labour Court or, if the President
court of the province, chairman of arbitration;
- A judge appointed by the Minister of Justice, Vice President
- An inspector or labor inspector or an official of the labor administration;
- A worker assessor;
- An assessor representing the employer.
Length of procedure: 12day(s)
Art. 316 (2) LC. Within two days of receipt of the request excluding Friday and holidays, the President shall summon the parties to appear within a period not exceeding twelve days.