Working Hours and Overtime in Mali

What Are The Standard Working Hours In Mali?

An employee whose age is 17 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 40 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 Mali

Under Malian labour law, the general statutory limit for full-time work is 40 hours per week, usually spread over five or six days. Daily working time is commonly set at 8 hours, and you should structure schedules so that employees do not regularly exceed this threshold without overtime classification. Any hours beyond the contractual schedule must be monitored and recorded as potential overtime.

Collective agreements or sectoral conventions can organize working time differently, for example by using averaging over a reference period, but they cannot remove the 40-hour weekly benchmark without providing compensatory rest or overtime pay. As an employer, you must keep accurate time records, ensure that employees receive required rest periods, and obtain any necessary approvals when you anticipate sustained periods of extended hours. Failure to respect these limits can expose you to back-pay claims and administrative sanctions.

Industry-Specific Exceptions

Companies hiring in sectors like healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, or hospitality may be subject to special scheduling rules that allow for longer daily spans while preserving weekly or average limits. In healthcare and hospitality, for example, 12-hour shifts may be permitted if balanced with longer rest periods and proper overtime compensation. You should always verify the applicable collective agreement for your sector before designing shift patterns.

• 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 operational needs require irregular schedules, document the reference period, the calculation method, and how you will provide compensatory rest or overtime pay. This documentation is important evidence of compliance in the event of an inspection.

Managerial And Exempt Employees

Senior managerial staff in Mali may be classified as cadres or equivalent categories whose working time is measured more by responsibility than by strict hourly limits. These employees can have broader availability expectations, but their contracts should clearly state whether they are subject to the 40-hour reference or to a flat-rate arrangement for overtime. Without clear written terms, disputes over unpaid overtime are more likely.

Even when managers are treated as exempt from standard overtime rules, you remain responsible for protecting their health and safety through reasonable workloads and rest. You should avoid systematically imposing excessively long days and ensure that managers also benefit from daily and weekly rest periods. Transparent job descriptions and remuneration structures help justify any flat-rate or inclusive salary arrangements.

Statutory Full-Time Working Hours In Mali

In Mali, statutory full-time work is generally defined as 40 hours per week for most private-sector employees. This is typically organized as five 8-hour days or six shorter days, depending on the company’s operational model. Any reduction or increase from this standard should be clearly reflected in employment contracts or internal regulations.

Part-time arrangements involve a contractual schedule below 40 hours per week, with rights and benefits usually prorated to hours worked. Flexible or staggered hours can be implemented, provided the average does not exceed 40 hours per week over the agreed reference period and rest rules are respected. Written agreements and clear timekeeping are essential to demonstrate that full-time and part-time staff are treated consistently with Malian law.

Overtime Regulations In Mali

Overtime in Mali must be carefully tracked, authorized, and compensated according to statutory rules and any applicable collective agreement. You are required to maintain reliable records of hours worked, including overtime, night work, and work on weekly rest days or public holidays. Non-compliance can lead to back payment of wages with overtime premiums, administrative fines, and potential labour court disputes.

What Counts As Overtime In Mali?

In Mali, overtime is generally any time worked beyond the statutory 40 hours per week or beyond the lower contractual weekly limit if your contract sets one. Hours worked beyond the normal daily schedule that still fall within the 40-hour week may also be treated as overtime if a collective agreement or company policy defines them as such. Work performed on the weekly rest day or on a public holiday is typically treated as overtime regardless of the total weekly hours.

When employees are called in for urgent work outside their usual schedule, those hours should be recorded separately and compensated at the applicable overtime or rest-day rate. You should implement a clear authorization process so that overtime is approved in advance whenever possible. This helps you control labour costs and demonstrate that you are not imposing excessive or unsafe working hours.

Maximum Overtime In Mali

Malian labour law generally limits overtime to 18 hours per week, meaning that total working time should not exceed 58 hours in any given week. Over a year, the typical ceiling applied in practice is 150 hours of overtime per employee, unless a collective agreement or administrative authorization allows an increase. These caps are designed to protect employee health and prevent systematic overuse of overtime instead of proper staffing.

Where sectoral agreements or ministerial orders permit higher thresholds, they usually set a maximum of 200 overtime hours per year with prior consultation of worker representatives. You should monitor cumulative overtime for each employee and put in place alerts when they approach 150 hours annually. If you need to exceed standard caps, obtain the required approvals and document the exceptional circumstances justifying the extension.

Overtime Payout Rates In Mali

In Mali, overtime hours on a normal working day are typically paid at a minimum premium of 15% to 40% above the base hourly wage, depending on the number of extra hours and the applicable collective agreement. A common structure is 115% (1.15x) of the normal rate for the first 8 overtime hours in a week and 130% (1.30x) for subsequent overtime hours. You should verify the exact grid in your sectoral convention and ensure payroll systems apply the correct multipliers.

Work performed on the weekly rest day or on a public holiday is usually compensated at 150% to 200% of the normal hourly wage, with 150% (1.5x) widely used for rest-day work and 200% (2.0x) for public holidays. If you provide compensatory rest instead of or in addition to pay, this must be clearly agreed and documented, and the monetary premium still applies where required by law or collective agreement. Always itemize overtime hours and corresponding rates on payslips to maintain transparency and compliance.

Rest Periods And Breaks In Mali

In Mali, employees generally work around 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, and rest periods are structured around these standard hours to protect health and safety. During a typical workday, employees who work more than 6 hours are entitled to a meal break, and daily and weekly rest rules ensure recovery between shifts. As an employer, you must integrate these breaks into work schedules so that total working time and rest entitlements remain compliant with Malian labour law.

• Meal Break: Employees who work more than 6 consecutive hours must receive at least a 30-minute uninterrupted meal break, which should be scheduled so that they do not work excessively long continuous stretches.
• 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, and you should avoid split shifts that undermine this rest.
• Weekly Rest: Employees must receive at least 24 consecutive hours of weekly rest, typically on Sunday, and any work on this day should trigger compensatory rest and applicable premiums.
• Minors: Workers under 18 benefit from stricter limits on daily hours and must receive more frequent breaks, and they are generally prohibited from night work and hazardous tasks.
• Employer Duty: You are responsible for organizing schedules so that statutory breaks and rest periods are actually taken, and for documenting compliance in case of labour inspections or disputes.

Night Shifts And Weekend Regulations In Mali

Night and weekend work are legal in Mali but subject to additional employer responsibilities and employee protections. You must pay attention to working-time limits, rest periods, and any applicable premiums when scheduling staff outside normal daytime hours. Proper planning and documentation help you avoid fatigue-related risks and legal non-compliance.

Night work in Mali is generally understood as work performed between 22:00 and 5:00, although some sectoral agreements may define a slightly different window such as 21:00 to 5:00. These rules apply across most roles, with particular attention to industrial, security, and service activities that operate around the clock. You should clearly identify in contracts or internal rules which positions are expected to perform night work.

• Premium Pay: While Malian law does not set a single uniform night-work premium, many sectoral agreements provide at least a 20% to 30% increase, with 120% (1.2x) of the base hourly wage commonly used as a minimum for hours worked between 22:00 and 5:00.
• Health Monitoring: Regular night workers should benefit from periodic health assessments, typically at least once every one to two years, to monitor fatigue, sleep disorders, and other risks associated with night shifts.
• Workplace Restrictions: Minors are generally prohibited from night work, and pregnant workers should be reassigned away from night shifts or granted adjustments where medical advice indicates that night work could endanger their health or that of the child.

Weekend work, particularly on Sunday as the usual weekly rest day, is restricted and should be limited to activities that cannot be interrupted, such as continuous-process industries, healthcare, hospitality, and security. When employees work on Sunday, you must provide a substitute rest day and typically pay a premium of at least 150% (1.5x) of the normal hourly wage, with some sectors requiring up to 200% (2.0x) for Sunday or public-holiday work.