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Somalia - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Mogadishu

 

CLIMATE

Somalia’s climate is principally desert; with a December to February - northeast monsoon, moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May to October - southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons.

 

LANGUAGES

Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, and English.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Information regarding Somalia’s legal system is not available. Somalia has been without a central government since its last president, dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, fled the country in 1991.

 

CURRENCY

Somali Shilling (1 USD = 2,606.90 SOS as of May 15, 2002).

 

SOMALIA - COST-OF-LIVING

ERI's Relocation Assessor is a recommended source for cost-of-living data.

 

SOMALIA - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

The United States does not have an embassy in Somalia. U.S. interests are represented by the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

 

U. S. Embassy at Nairobi (Kenya)

Mombasa Road

P.O. Box 30137

Unit 64100

APO AE 09831

Nairobi, Kenya

Telephone: [254] (2) 537-800

Fax: [254] (2) 537-810

http://usembassy.state.gov/nairobi/

 

Somalia does not have an embassy in the United States (the embassy ceased operations on 8 May 1991).

 

SOMALIA - HOLIDAYS

SOMALIA – LEAVE

Maternity Leave: 14 weeks – 50% of pay (paid by employer).

 

SOMALIA - MINIMUM AGE

The pre-1991 Labor Code prohibits child labor, including forced or bonded labor by children; however, child labor occurs, and there are child soldiers. Formal employment of children was rare, but youths commonly were employed in herding, agriculture, and household labor from an early age. Substantial numbers of children work.

 

(Section 6.d. Acceptable Conditions of Work, Somalia – Report of Human Rights Practices, 2001, U.S. Department of State.)

 

SOMALIA - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

There is no known minimum wage.

 

SOMALIA - REMUNERATION

ERI's Geographic and Salary Assessors are recommended sources for international remuneration covering 189 countries.

 

SOMALIA - REPORT OF HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES (2001, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE)

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The 1990 Constitution provided workers with the right to form unions, but the civil war and factional fighting negated this provision and broke up the single labor confederation, the then government-controlled General Federation of Somali Trade Unions. In view of the extent of the country's political and economic breakdown and the lack of legal enforcement mechanisms, trade unions could not function freely.

 

The Transitional Charter, adopted in 2000 but not implemented by year's end, the Puntland Charter, and the Somaliland Constitution established the right of freedom of association, but no unions or employer organizations yet exist.

 

Unlike in the previous year, labor disputes did not lead to the use of force during the year. In 2000 the Habr Gibr clan used force against the Digil and Biyamal clans in Lower Shabelle.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

Wages and work requirements in the traditional culture are established largely by ad hoc bartering, based on supply, demand, and the influence of the clan from which the worker originates.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The pre-1991 Penal Code prohibits forced labor; however, local clan militias generally forced members of minority groups to work on banana plantations without compensation. Trafficking in women for the purposes of sexual exploitation was a problem (see Sections 5 and 6.f.).

 

The pre-1991 Labor Code prohibits child labor, including forced or bonded labor by children; however, child labor occurs, and there are child soldiers (see Sections 5 and 6.d.). Trafficking in children for forced labor is a problem (see Section 6.f.).

 

d. Status of Child Labor Practices and Minimum Age for Employment

 

The pre-1991 Labor Code prohibits child labor, including forced or bonded labor by children; however, child labor occurs, and there are child soldiers (see Sections 5 and 6.c.). Formal employment of children was rare, but youths commonly were employed in herding, agriculture, and household labor from an early age. Substantial numbers of children work. In 1999 it was reported that 41.9 percent of children between the ages of 5 and 14 years worked; however, the percentage of children engaged in labor was believed to be higher than 42 percent during the year. The lack of educational opportunities and severely depressed economic conditions contributed to child labor (see Section 5). There were reports that trafficking in children for forced labor is a serious problem (see Section 6.f.).

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

There was no organized effort by any of the factions or de facto regional administrations to monitor acceptable conditions of work during the year.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The pre-1991 Penal Code prohibits trafficking; however, there were some reports of trafficking during the year. In 2000 Djibouti law enforcement authorities arrested members of a group that was smuggling Somali women to destinations such as Lebanon and Syria to work in brothels. The number of women being trafficked from the country appears to be small. There were reports that trafficking in children for forced labor is a serious problem (see Sections 5 and 6.d.).

 

1 The United States does not have diplomatic representation in Somalia. This report draws in part on non-U.S. Government sources.

 

SOMALIA - STANDARD WORKWEEK

There is no known standard workweek.