Parliament has a legislated stringent new labour law during its session held on July 4, 2019. Drafted by the Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs, the proclamation aims at creating a conducive environment for investment that leads to the creation of more jobs while productivity is maximised through the protection of workers’ rights. It also aims to address the shortcomings and limitations of the old law, which was 14 years old. The law that spent four years in the making had passed various stages of discussion among stakeholders before it was legislated last week. The Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, Ethiopian Employers Federation, International Labor Organization (ILO), the Federal Attorney General and public enterprises have participated in the drafting process. Among the changes the new bill introduces is allowing for the dismissal of employees who have a record of coming to work late eight times and are absent for five days without cause within a six-month period. The bill also extends the probation period from 45 days to 60 working days. Another significant departure of the new bill is the period of maternity leave. The new law gives 30 working days of pre-labour leave and 90 days of post-labour leave.
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