About
ERI DisclaimerSao Tome and Principe - Compensation & Benefit Legislation
CAPITAL
Sao Tome
CLIMATE
Tropical climate; hot and humid with one rainy season from October to May.
LANGUAGES
Portuguese (official).
LEGAL SYSTEM
Sao Tome and Principe’s legal system is based on Portuguese legal system and customary law. Sao Tome and Principe has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
CURRENCY
Sao Tome and Principe Dobra (1 USD = 9,019.70 STD as of May 15, 2002).
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - COST-OF-LIVING
ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - EMBASSY/CONSULATES
The United States does not have an embassy in Sao Tome and Principe. The Ambassador to Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands.
U. S. Embassy at Libreville (Gabon)
Boulevard de la Mer
B.P. 4000
Libreville, Gabon
Telephone: [241] 762003
Fax: [241] 745507
http://usembassy.state.gov/posts/gb1/wwwhmain.html
Sao Tome and Principe does not have an embassy in the U.S., but does have a Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, New York.
San Tome and Principe - Permanent Mission to the United Nations
122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1604,
New York, NY 10168
Telephone: (212) 317-0533
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - HOLIDAYS
New Year's Day (January 1)
Martyr's Day (February 3)
Easter
Labor Day (May 1)
Independence Day (July 12)
Christmas (December 25)
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - LEAVE
Maternity Leave: 70 days – 100% of pay for 60 days (paid by social security).
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - MINIMUM AGE
The legally mandated minimum employment age is 14 years or 18 years for dangerous jobs or those requiring heavy manual labor. The law prohibits minors from working more than 7 hours a day and 35 hours a week.
(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Sao Tome and Principe – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - MINIMUM REMUNERATION
The legal minimum wage is 150,000 dobras per month (approximately $14), with an additional stipend of 20,000 dobras ($2.25) for civil servants.
(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Sao Tome and Principe – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - REMUNERATION
ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)
Section 6 Worker Rights
a. The Right of Association
The Constitution provides for freedom of association and the right to strike. Few unions exist in the very small modern wage sector; however, independent cooperatives have taken advantage of the government land distribution program to attract workers and in many cases to improve production and incomes significantly. Public sector employees still make up the great majority of wage earners. Strikes are legal, including those by government employees and other essential workers. During the year, the ILO Committee of Experts at its annual meeting stated that the Government's requirement of two-thirds of the workers to call a strike is high and could be an obstacle to the exercise of the right to strike; it would be appropriate for the decision to be taken by a simple majority of the workers present at the assembly. Unlike in the previous year, there were no strikes by civil servants. There are no laws or regulations that prohibit employers from retaliating against strikers; however, there were no reports of retaliation following strikes in previous years.
There are no restrictions against trade unions joining federations or affiliating with international bodies, but none have done so.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
The Constitution provides that workers may organize and bargain collectively; however, due to its role as the principal employer in the wage sector, the Government remains the key interlocutor for labor on all matters, including wages. There were no laws prohibiting antiunion discrimination; however, there were no reports of antiunion discrimination.
There are no export processing zones.
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor
The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, and there were no reports that such practices occurred.
The Government prohibits forced and bonded labor by children, and there were no reports that such practices occurred.
d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment
Employers in the modern wage sector generally respect the legally mandated minimum employment age of 14 years or 18 years for dangerous jobs or those requiring heavy manual labor. The law prohibits minors from working more than 7 hours a day and 35 hours a week. Children were engaged in labor in subsistence agriculture, on plantations, and in informal commerce, sometimes from an early age. Although no cases of child labor abuses have been prosecuted, the law states that employers can be fined for employing underage workers.
The Government has not ratified ILO Convention 182 on the worst forms of child labor.
The Government prohibits forced and bonded labor by children, and such practices are not known to occur. The Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing the prohibition against forced and bonded labor by children.
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
Working conditions on many of the cocoa plantations--the largest wage employment sector--are extremely hard. The legal minimum wage is $14 (150,000 dobras) per month, with an additional stipend of $2.25 (20,000 dobras) for civil servants. The average salary for plantation workers does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family, and the real value of their pay was eroded constantly by high rates of inflation. In principle workers and their families were provided free (but inadequate) housing, rudimentary education for their children, and health care, as well as the privilege of reduced prices and credit at the "company store." These arrangements were intended to subsidize food and clothing. However, corruption was widespread, and international lending institutions have criticized the Government for ineffective administration of these subsidies. Workers often were forced to pay higher prices on the parallel market to obtain the goods theoretically provided at a discount as part of their compensation.
During the 1990's, the Government, with foreign donor assistance, privatized or redistributed the land in many state-run plantations in an effort to improve work, pay, and living conditions. While the program has redistributed some land, not all of the newly privatized plantations were successful, particularly because the world price for cocoa dropped.
Beginning in 1999, salaries for some civil servants such as those working in the court system, Finance Ministry, Customs, Education Ministry, and Criminal Investigation Police were increased considerably when the Government adopted a private sector salary system. Government workers in these departments earn up to 400 percent more than their counterparts in the rest of the public sector.
The legal workweek is 40 hours, with 48 consecutive hours mandated for a rest period, a norm respected in the modern wage sector. The law prescribes basic occupational health and safety standards. Inspectors from the Ministry of Justice and Labor are responsible for enforcement of these standards, but their efforts are ineffective. Employees have the right under the law to leave unsafe working conditions.
f. Trafficking in Persons
The law prohibits trafficking in persons, and there were no reports that persons were trafficked to, from, or within the country.
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - SOCIAL SECURITY
Social Security Office of International Programs:
http://www.ssa.gov/SSA_Home.html
SAO TOME AND PRINCIPE - STANDARD WORKWEEK
The legal workweek is 40 hours, with 48 consecutive hours mandated for a rest period.
(Section 6.e. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Sao Tome and Principe – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)