Work conditions in Gabon

The Active Population in Figures

Working Conditions

Legal Weekly Duration

Art. 165 of the Labour code states that the legal employment’s duration is forty hours per week.
For agricultural enterprises, the employment hours duration is calculated by year, with a maximum of 2,400 hours.
A rest day per week is mandatory, and it has to consist of at least 24 consecutive hours.

Retirement Age

For full pension, a worker must have at least 55 years of age 50 if prematurely aged), with at least 20 years of coverage, including at least 120 months of coverage in the last 20 years.

Working Contracts

According to art. 19 of the Labour Code, employment contracts can be either oral or written. In case a working contract is in written, it is exempted from stamp duties.
Working contracts can be concluded for a fixed term, opened ended or for a specific task. An employment contract must be in written if it is concluded for a fixed term (maximum two years) or for a specific task (art. 23 and 25).

Labour Laws

Consult the Labour Code, to obtain a summary of the labour regulations that apply in Gabon

Cost of Labour

Minimum Wage

The legislation provides that the government may set minimum wage rates for any occupation or sector that is not covered by a collective agreement (or in case the collective agreement does not set minimum wage rates). However, the government has only set the national minimum wage, equal to XOF 150,000 per month (ILO, 2019 latest data available).

Average Wage

There are no official data regarding the average salary in Gabon. According to salaryexplorer.com, the average salary is XOF 553,000 in 2021.

Social Contributions

Social Security Contributions Paid By Employers: 20.1% of covered earnings.
Social Security Contributions Paid By Employees: 4.5% of covered earnings.

Social Partners

Social Dialogue and Involvement of Social Partners

Workers have the formal right to join unions, engage in collective bargaining, and strike under certain circumstances. However, since 2017 the government reduced the trade unions’ freedom following a strike of the teachers’ union CONASYSED (which was also barred from conducting any activities due to an allegation of disturbance to the public order). It has also been reported that the police used excessive force to disperse striking oil workers as well as students demonstrating in support of the striking teachers. Furthermore, another strike from the workers of the oil sector had suspended after the government’s intervention.

Labour Unions

Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)
Gabonese Confederation of Free Trade Unions (CGSL)

Unionisation Rate

N/A

Labour Regulation Bodies

Ministry of Labour