Working Hours and Overtime in Guinea Bissau

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Guinea Bissau?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 6 hours per day and 36 hours per week. An employee whose age is 17 or older is allowed to work 44 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 60 minutes must be observed by employees who work more than 6 hours in a day. In typical working hours, Monday through Friday, the hours are 8:00 to 17:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Guinea Bissau

Under the Labour Code of Guinea Bissau, the general limit for normal working time is 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week for adult employees. You should structure work schedules so that these limits are not exceeded on a regular basis, unless you are using a lawful system of averaging or flexibility. Any hours beyond these thresholds are treated as overtime and must follow the specific overtime rules.

Collective agreements or company-level regulations may introduce shorter standard hours, such as 40 hours per week, or different daily distributions while keeping within the weekly cap. As an employer, you must clearly document the normal working schedule in employment contracts or internal regulations and communicate any changes in advance. You are also responsible for keeping accurate time records to demonstrate compliance with daily and weekly limits.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for longer shifts or irregular hours. These arrangements typically rely on shift systems or reference periods so that the average working time does not exceed 44 hours per week. You must ensure that any such flexibility is grounded in the Labour Code or a valid collective agreement.

• Healthcare professionals may work 12-hour shifts with extended rest periods.
• Transport workers must comply with EU-aligned rest and driving limits.
• Manufacturing and security staff often rotate through night or weekend shifts.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. When longer shifts are used, you should provide compensatory rest and monitor fatigue risks closely. Written shift rosters and consultation with worker representatives are strongly recommended.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff and employees who genuinely control their own working time may enjoy more flexibility in scheduling. In Guinea Bissau, however, there is no blanket exemption from maximum working hours or health and safety protections simply because an employee is salaried or holds a managerial title. You should define any special working-time arrangements for managers explicitly in the employment contract.

Where managers regularly exceed the 44-hour weekly norm, you must decide whether those hours are compensated through overtime pay, a higher base salary, or additional leave. The chosen approach should be transparent and consistent with any applicable collective agreement. Misclassifying employees as exempt when they do not truly control their hours can expose you to back-pay claims and administrative penalties.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Guinea Bissau

Full-time work in Guinea Bissau is generally understood as 44 hours per week for adult employees, usually spread over five and a half or six days. Many employers, especially in urban and office environments, voluntarily apply a 40-hour week to remain competitive and support work–life balance. You should state in each contract whether the role is full-time or part-time and the corresponding weekly hours.

Part-time arrangements involve a lower number of weekly hours but must respect the same rules on daily limits, rest periods, and overtime thresholds on a pro rata basis. Any change from full-time to part-time or vice versa should be agreed in writing and not imposed unilaterally. Clear classification helps you manage entitlements such as leave, overtime, and social security contributions correctly.

Overtime Regulations In Guinea Bissau

Overtime in Guinea Bissau must be used only in justified situations, such as exceptional workload peaks or operational emergencies, and always within the limits set by the Labour Code. You are required to keep detailed records of hours worked, including overtime, so that labour inspectors can verify compliance. Failure to document and compensate overtime correctly can lead to back-pay liabilities, fines, and reputational damage.

What Counts As Overtime In Guinea Bissau?

Overtime for adult employees generally begins once the employee works more than 8 hours in a day or more than 44 hours in a week, whichever threshold is used in your scheduling system. Hours worked beyond the contractually agreed normal schedule, even if below the statutory maximum, may also be treated as overtime if your policies or a collective agreement define them as such. Work performed on a weekly rest day or public holiday is typically considered overtime regardless of the weekly total.

If you operate flexible or shift-based schedules, you should specify in writing how overtime is triggered, for example by reference to a weekly or monthly average. Employees must be informed in advance, where possible, when overtime will be required, and you should avoid systematic reliance on overtime to cover normal staffing needs. Consent rules in collective agreements or internal regulations must also be respected.

Maximum Overtime In Guinea Bissau

Guinea Bissau’s labour framework generally limits overtime to 2 hours per day and 10 hours per week for each employee, in addition to the normal 44-hour weekly schedule. On this basis, the absolute daily working time, including overtime, should not exceed 10 hours, and the combined weekly total should not exceed 54 hours. These limits are designed to protect employee health and reduce fatigue-related risks.

Over a longer reference period, such as a year, overtime is typically capped at 200 hours per employee, unless a collective agreement or specific administrative authorization allows an increase up to 250 hours. Any extension beyond the standard caps should be exceptional, justified by serious operational needs, and documented in writing. You must monitor cumulative overtime for each worker to ensure that daily, weekly, and annual limits are not breached.

Overtime Payout Rates In Guinea Bissau

In Guinea Bissau, statutory overtime for work performed on a normal working day is commonly paid at a minimum of 125% of the employee’s regular hourly wage, that is 1.25x the base rate. When overtime is worked at night or on a weekly rest day such as Sunday, the premium typically increases to at least 150% of the regular hourly wage, or 1.5x. Work performed on a public holiday is usually compensated at a minimum of 200% of the regular hourly wage, or 2.0x, reflecting its exceptional nature.

Collective agreements or company policies may grant higher overtime rates, for example 150% for weekday overtime and 200% for Sunday or holiday work, but they cannot lawfully reduce the statutory minimums. You should clearly describe all applicable overtime rates in employment contracts or internal regulations and ensure that payroll systems apply the correct multipliers. Transparent payslips showing the number of overtime hours and the rate used are essential for compliance and for avoiding disputes.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Guinea Bissau

In Guinea Bissau, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 44 hours per week, and rest periods are structured around these limits to protect health and safety. During the working day, employees who work more than 6 hours are entitled to a meal break that interrupts continuous work and allows genuine rest. Daily and weekly rest rules ensure that employees have sufficient time away from work between shifts and across the week.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 60-minute unpaid meal break, which should be scheduled roughly in the middle of the workday. You should ensure that this break is not split into very short segments that undermine its purpose.
• Daily Rest: Between the end of one workday and the start of the next, employees are generally entitled to a minimum uninterrupted rest of 11 hours. Organising shifts must take this daily rest into account, especially where evening or night work is involved.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, in addition to the daily rest periods. If business needs require Sunday work, you should grant a substitute rest day during the same week.
• Minors: Workers under 18 benefit from stricter rest and break protections, including shorter daily limits and more frequent pauses. You should avoid scheduling minors for late-evening work and ensure they receive adequate supervision.
• Employer Duty: As an employer, you are responsible for planning schedules so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken. Timekeeping and clear written policies help demonstrate compliance during inspections or disputes.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Guinea Bissau

Night and weekend work are legal in Guinea Bissau but they trigger additional responsibilities for employers and heightened protections for employees. You must pay particular attention to working-time limits, rest periods, and any applicable premium rates when organising such schedules. Proper planning and documentation are essential to avoid fatigue, safety incidents, and non-compliance.

Night work in Guinea Bissau is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 06:00, although collective agreements may refine this window for specific sectors. Employees who perform a substantial part of their hours within this period are considered night workers and may be entitled to specific protections and benefits. You should clearly identify night roles in contracts and inform employees of the associated conditions.

• Premium Pay: Guinea Bissau does not set a uniform statutory night work premium in the Labour Code, but in practice many collective agreements and company policies grant at least a 25% premium, or 1.25x the base hourly rate, for hours worked between 22:00 and 06:00. Where night work coincides with overtime or work on a weekly rest day, combined premiums of 150%–200% (1.5x–2.0x) are commonly applied.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should be offered periodic health assessments to detect sleep disorders, cardiovascular issues, or other conditions aggravated by night schedules. You should also review accident data and absenteeism to identify whether night work is creating additional health or safety risks.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors are generally prohibited from performing night work, especially in hazardous environments, and pregnant or breastfeeding workers should be reassigned away from night shifts where medically indicated. You must assess individual risks and, where necessary, adapt duties or schedules to comply with these protections.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is treated as work on the normal weekly rest day and should be limited to cases where business needs genuinely require it. When employees work on Sunday, you must provide a substitute rest day and, in many sectors, pay at least a 150% premium, or 1.5x the base rate, with 200% (2.0x) commonly used for Sunday work that is also a public holiday. Clear policies on weekend scheduling and premiums help you manage expectations and reduce disputes.