RESOURCES
Labour law A-Z
Articles, practical guides and legal updates written by our experts.
Managing Internships: Four Schemes People Confuse, and One that Does Not Exist
Malian law knows four schemes: the contractual internship, the qualification contract of six months to two years, apprenticeship, and employer-funded training. All require writing, and three require filing with the administration. The informal internship does not exist: without writing, the young person holds an open-ended contract. The qualification allowance is 50% of basic salary, capped at XOF 50,000.
Managing Recruitment
Recruiting in Mali involves eight formalities: selection on qualifications alone, a medical examination before hiring, written contracts for fixed terms, probation, apprenticeship and part-time work, filing or endorsement where required, entry in the register, a movement declaration within eight days and a placement declaration within fifteen. Without writing, probation does not exist.
Managing the Employment Contract: What Each Stage Requires, from Signature to Termination
Any contract that is not fixed-term, an apprenticeship, a qualification contract or probation is an open-ended contract. A fixed-term contract exceeds neither two years nor two renewals, and ends early only for gross misconduct, written agreement or force majeure. Dismissal requires notice to the inspector and a written, reasoned notice letter. Severance runs at 20, 25 then 30% of the last twelve months' average.
Maternity in Mali: protection from pregnancy until the child is fifteen months old
In Mali, maternity protection begins as soon as the pregnancy is notified: dangerous work and carrying loads are prohibited, and the employee may leave without payment in lieu of notice. Leave lasts 14 weeks, 6 of them before the expected date, and the INPS pays an allowance equal to the full salary. The employer may not terminate the contract during the suspension. For 15 months, the mother is entitled to one paid breastfeeding hour a day.
Maternity leave
Maternity leave runs for fourteen weeks, six before and eight after delivery, with a possible three-week extension and benefits paid by the INPS equal to the full salary. Termination is prohibited throughout the period, and the mother is entitled to one paid nursing hour a day for fifteen months.
Meal allowances in Mali: pay or reimbursement, the question that changes everything
Meal allowances are not in Malian Labour Code: they come from the collective agreement, the establishment agreement, the contract or custom. Their characterisation decides everything. What pays for work counts towards the severance and notice calculation bases; what reimburses an expense does not (articles L.53 and L.100). The test: would the sum still be paid if the constraint disappeared?
Misconduct in the company
Ordinary, serious or gross misconduct: three degrees, three financial outcomes, and one costly error on fixed-term contracts.
Negotiated Termination: Parting by Mutual Agreement, Without the Agreement Turning Against You
Since 2017, an employer and an employee on an open-ended contract may end it by mutual agreement through a written agreement, without notice. Consent must be free: no pressure, with possible assistance from a delegate or colleague, or the termination is void. The payment may not be lower than the statutory severance payment. A copy goes to the labour inspectorate; no approval is needed.
Night work: which hours, who may work at night, what premium?
In Mali, night work is work between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. (L.141). The Code only adds a premium to night overtime: 50% on weekdays, 100% on non-working days (L.137); a premium for normal hours depends on the agreement. Women may not work at night in industry, except in specified cases (L.186), nor may under-18s. Guards are subject to a 56-hour equivalence.
Non-occupational illness or accident
Non-occupational illness or accident suspends the contract for up to six months, with compensation borne by the employer on a scale tied to seniority and the category's notice period. The employee must notify immediately, justify beyond three working days and accept a medical check, and a decision is required once the six months elapse.
Notice periods in Mali: length, form and rights during notice
In Mali, ending an open-ended contract requires written notice stating the reason, running from the day the letter is handed over; the employer must also inform the labour inspector. Absent a collective agreement, notice lasts 8 days, 1 month, 2 months or 3 months by category, and only gross misconduct removes it. The employee keeps full pay and may take one day a week to look for work. Notice not served is paid in full, bonuses and benefits included.
Occupational disease: how is it recognised and reported? The table, the exposure and 48 hours
A disease is presumed occupational if it appears in a table, after habitual exposure to the risk covered and within the set period (SSC 139). The employer reports it within 48 hours to the INPS and the inspectorate (L.176, SSC 71); outside the annual check-up, the victim has 15 days (SSC 141). Without a timely report, the employer pays medical care and daily allowances (SSC 239). Dismissal for unfitness requires the inspector’s opinion.
177 articles — page 6 of 15
A question about Malian labour law?
Our experts are available to assist you.