Working Hours and Overtime in Guinea Conakry

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Guinea Conakry?

An employee whose age is 16 or younger has a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week. An employee whose age is 18 or older is allowed to work 48 hours per week. A minimum meal interval of 30 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 16:00.

Maximum Working Hours In Guinea Conakry

Under Guinean labour law, the general statutory limit for full-time employees is 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week. You must organize schedules so that the average weekly hours, including any authorized extensions, do not exceed this 48-hour ceiling over the applicable reference period. Collective agreements or company policies may introduce shorter standard weeks, such as 40 or 44 hours, but they cannot lawfully exceed the statutory maximum.

When business needs require temporary increases, you may use overtime within the legal caps, but you must still respect daily rest and weekly rest requirements. Any change to normal working hours should be documented in employment contracts, internal regulations, or collective agreements, and communicated clearly to staff. You are also expected to maintain accurate time records to demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules. In these sectors, shifts can be organized on a rotating basis, and daily hours may be compressed or extended, provided that the average weekly limit of 48 hours is respected over the agreed reference period. You should verify whether any sectoral collective agreement or decree applicable in Guinea adjusts the distribution of hours, night work rules, or on-call arrangements.

Even in these sectors, you must ensure the average weekly limit is respected over a reference period. Where 12-hour shifts are used, such as in hospitals or security services, you must compensate with longer rest periods and ensure that workers still receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest. For transport workers, you must also align with regional ECOWAS and, where relevant, international driving and rest standards to avoid fatigue-related risks.

• 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. You should monitor actual hours worked against the legal and contractual limits and adjust rosters proactively. Failure to do so can expose your organization to sanctions and liability in the event of accidents or health issues linked to overwork.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff in Guinea may enjoy greater flexibility in how their working time is organized, especially where they have genuine autonomy over their schedules. However, they are not automatically exempt from all working-time protections, and you should not assume that managers can work unlimited hours without regard to health and safety. Employment contracts should clearly define whether a manager is on a fixed schedule, a global working-time arrangement, or a results-based framework.

Where managers are classified as cadres or equivalent under a collective agreement, that agreement may allow for a lump-sum remuneration that already includes a certain volume of overtime. In such cases, you must still ensure that the total hours remain reasonable and that daily and weekly rest rules are respected. Misclassifying employees as exempt to avoid overtime obligations can lead to back-pay claims and administrative penalties.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Guinea Conakry

Statutory full-time work in Guinea is generally based on 48 hours per week for adult employees, usually spread over 6 days at 8 hours per day. Many employers, particularly in the formal sector and international organizations, voluntarily adopt a 40–44 hour week to align with global practices and improve work–life balance. Any arrangement that reduces hours below the statutory maximum should be clearly reflected in contracts and internal policies.

Part-time work is permitted, provided that the agreed hours are proportionally lower than the full-time benchmark and clearly stated in writing. You must ensure that part-time employees are not scheduled in a way that effectively turns their role into full-time without appropriate contractual changes and pay adjustments. When using flexible or staggered hours, always verify that the average weekly hours over the reference period do not exceed the legal 48-hour limit.

Overtime Regulations In Guinea Conakry

Overtime in Guinea is tightly regulated, and you are responsible for ensuring that any hours worked beyond the normal schedule comply with statutory limits and pay rules. You must keep accurate, verifiable records of all hours worked, including overtime, night work, and work on weekly rest days or public holidays. Failure to document and compensate overtime correctly can result in back-pay claims, fines, and potential criminal liability for serious or repeated breaches.

What Counts As Overtime In Guinea Conakry?

In Guinea, overtime for adult employees generally begins once an employee works more than 8 hours in a day or more than 48 hours in a week. Hours worked beyond the contractual weekly schedule, where that schedule is lower than 48 hours, are also treated as overtime and must be compensated at the applicable premium rate. Work performed on the employee’s weekly rest day or on a public holiday is considered overtime and attracts higher statutory premiums.

Where working time is averaged over a reference period under a collective agreement, overtime is calculated by comparing the total hours worked with the total normal hours for that period. Any hours beyond the normal total must be paid at overtime rates, even if individual weeks were below 48 hours. You should define in writing how overtime is requested, approved, and recorded to avoid disputes.

Maximum Overtime In Guinea Conakry

Guinean labour law generally limits overtime to 100 hours per year per employee, unless a specific authorization from the labour inspectorate allows an increase. In practice, this means you should not schedule more than an average of about 2 additional hours per week over the year without special approval. Some sectoral rules or collective agreements may set lower annual caps, and you must always apply the more protective limit.

On a weekly basis, overtime should not cause total working time to exceed 60 hours, combining the 48 normal hours and up to 12 hours of overtime in exceptional circumstances. Any extension beyond the 100-hour annual cap typically requires prior authorization, and you must be able to justify it by exceptional workload or operational necessity. Systematically relying on overtime instead of hiring additional staff can be challenged by labour authorities and unions.

Overtime Payout Rates In Guinea Conakry

Overtime in Guinea must be paid at statutory premium rates calculated on the employee’s normal hourly wage. For work performed beyond the normal daily or weekly hours on ordinary working days, the minimum overtime premium is typically 130% of the base hourly rate, meaning 1.3x pay. When overtime is performed at night, the combined premium can reach 160% of the base rate, or 1.6x, depending on the applicable collective agreement.

Work performed on the weekly rest day, usually Sunday, is generally compensated at a minimum of 150% of the base hourly rate, or 1.5x, in addition to granting a substitute rest day. Work on public holidays is commonly paid at 200% of the base hourly rate, or 2.0x, reflecting both overtime and holiday premiums. You should verify any sectoral collective agreement in Guinea that may provide higher percentages and ensure your payroll system applies the correct multipliers consistently.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Guinea Conakry

In Guinea, employees typically work up to 8 hours per day and 48 hours per week, and rest periods are designed to protect their health within this framework. During the working day, employees who work more than 6 hours must receive at least a 30-minute meal break, which does not count as working time if they are fully relieved of duties. Daily and weekly rest rules complement these breaks to ensure that employees have sufficient recovery time between shifts.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours in Guinea must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break. You should schedule this break roughly in the middle of the work period and ensure employees are free from duties during this time.
• Daily Rest: Workers are generally entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours of rest between the end of one workday and the start of the next. When exceptional circumstances require shorter daily rest, you should compensate with equivalent rest within a short reference period.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, in addition to the daily rest period. If business needs require Sunday work, you must provide a substitute rest day and apply the applicable overtime premiums.
• Minors: Young workers under 18 in Guinea benefit from stricter rest and break protections, including shorter maximum daily hours and more frequent breaks. You should avoid scheduling minors for night work or extended shifts that could interfere with schooling or health.
• Employer Duty: As an employer, you are responsible for organizing work so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, not just written into policy. Labour inspectors may review schedules and time records to verify compliance with these rest requirements.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Guinea Conakry

Night and weekend work are legal in Guinea but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to specific rules on working time limits, premiums, and vulnerable categories of workers when organizing such shifts. Proper planning and documentation are essential to demonstrate compliance during inspections.

Night work in Guinea is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 05:00, although some collective agreements may define a slightly different window. These rules apply across most roles, with particular scrutiny in sectors such as healthcare, security, and manufacturing where continuous operations are common. You should clearly identify in contracts or internal regulations which positions are expected to perform night work.

• Premium Pay: In Guinea, night work is typically compensated with a premium of at least 30% above the normal hourly wage, meaning a minimum of 130% or 1.3x pay for hours worked between 22:00 and 05:00. Some sectoral agreements may grant higher premiums, such as 40% or 50%, and you must always apply the more favorable rate for the employee.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should benefit from periodic health assessments to detect fatigue, sleep disorders, or other health impacts linked to night schedules. You are encouraged to adapt work organization or reassign employees if medical advice indicates that night work is no longer suitable.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors under 18 are generally prohibited from night work in Guinea, except for narrowly defined exceptions such as apprenticeships under strict supervision. Pregnant workers and new mothers should not be required to perform night shifts, and you should offer temporary reassignment or schedule adjustments where necessary.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday, is treated as work on the weekly rest day and is therefore exceptional. When employees work on Sunday, you must provide a substitute rest day and pay at least 150% of the base hourly rate, or 1.5x, for those hours. Work on public holidays that fall on weekends is typically compensated at 200% of the base rate, or 2.0x, in line with overtime and holiday premium rules.