Generate/ERILOGO1.gif About ERI Disclaimer

Suriname - Compensation & Benefit Legislation

CAPITAL

Paramaribo

 

CLIMATE

Tropical climate moderated by trade winds.

 

LANGUAGES

Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), and Javanese.

 

LEGAL SYSTEM

Suriname’s legal system is based on Dutch legal system incorporating French penal theory.

 

CURRENCY

Surinamese Guilder (1 USD = 2,167.60 SRG as of May 15, 2002).

 

SURINAME - COST-OF-LIVING

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

 

SURINAME - EMBASSY/CONSULATES

U.S. Embassy at Paramaribo

Dr. Sophie Redmondstraat 129

Paramaribo, Suriname

Telephone: [597] 472900

Fax: [597] 420800

 

Embassy of the Republic of Suriname at Washington D.C.

4301 Connecticut Avenue N.W., Suite 460

Washington D.C. 20008

Telephone: (202) 244-7488

Fax: (202) 244-5878

http://www.surinameembassy.org

 

SURINAME - HOLIDAYS

 

SURINAME - MINIMUM AGE

The law sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years; however, the Ministry of Labor and the police enforce this law only sporadically. Children under 14 years of age work as street vendors, newspaper sellers, or shop assistants. Working hours for youths are not limited in comparison with the regular work force.

 

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

 

SURINAME - MINIMUM REMUNERATION

There is no minimum wage legislation.

 

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

 

SURINAME - REMUNERATION

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

 

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

Section 6 Worker Rights

 

a. The Right of Association

 

The Constitution protects the right of workers to associate and to choose their representatives democratically. Nearly 60 percent of the work force is organized into unions, and most unions belong to one of the country's six major labor federations. Unions are independent of the Government but play an active role in politics. The small Labor Party historically has been a very influential force in government.

 

The Constitution provides for the right to strike. Civil servants have the right to strike, and strikes in both the public and private sectors are common as workers try to regain wages lost to inflation in previous years.

 

Significant strikes during the year included a 4-day-long fire-fighters' strike, during which union members refused to participate in training, maintenance, and administrative activities. The prison guard force struck three times for 1 to 3 days each time. Nurses at a government hospital conducted a work-to-rule action for more than 2 weeks. The union exempted nurses in critical departments, such as intensive care, from the action.

 

There are no restrictions on unions' international activities. Unions are active members of both the International Labor Organization and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions.

 

b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively

 

The Constitution explicitly recognizes these rights, and the authorities respect them in practice. Collective bargaining agreements cover approximately 50 percent of the labor force. Bauxite industry workers are organized, but gold miners are not. The law prohibits antiunion discrimination by employers, and there are effective mechanisms for resolving complaints of such discrimination. Employers must have prior permission from the Ministry of Labor to fire workers, except when discharging an employee for cause. The Labor Ministry individually reviews dismissals for cause; if it finds a discharge unjustified, the employee must be reinstated.

 

There are no export processing zones.

 

c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor

 

The Constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor; however, there were credible reports of trafficking in women and girls for prostitution (see Section 6.f.). The law prohibits forced and bonded labor by children, and such practices (other than trafficking) generally are not known to occur.

 

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

 

The law sets the minimum age for employment at 14 years; however, the Ministry of Labor and the police enforce this law only sporadically. Children under 14 years of age work as street vendors, newspaper sellers, or shop assistants. Working hours for youths are not limited in comparison with the regular work force. School attendance is compulsory until 12 years of age. The Government has not ratified the International Labor Organization's Convention 182 on elimination of the worst forms of child labor. The law prohibits forced and bonded labor by children; trafficking of girls for prostitution does occur (see Sections 6.c. and 6.f.), but there were no other reports of such practices.

 

e. Acceptable Conditions of Work

 

There is no minimum wage legislation. Including a cost of living allowance, the lowest wage for civil servants is about $100 (Sf244,000) per month. This salary level makes it very difficult to provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. Government employees, who constitute approximately 50 percent of the work force of 100,000 persons, frequently supplement their salaries with second or third jobs, often in the informal sector. The President and Council of Ministers set and approve civil service wage increases.

 

Work in excess of 9 hours per day or 45 hours per week on a regular basis requires special government permission, which is granted routinely. Such overtime work earns premium pay. The law requires one 24-hour rest period per week.

 

A 10- to 12-member inspectorate in the Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Ministry of Labor is responsible for enforcing legislated occupational safety and health regulations. Resource constraints and lack of trained personnel preclude the division from making regular inspections of industry. Accident rates in local industry do not appear to be high, and the key bauxite industry has an excellent safety record. However, there is no law authorizing workers to refuse to work in circumstances they deem unsafe. They must appeal to the inspectorate to declare the workplace situation unsafe.

 

f. Trafficking in Persons

 

The only laws that prohibit trafficking in persons are dated "white slavery laws" that are enforced rarely, and apply only to women and children. There were credible reports of trafficking in women and girls to the country for prostitution. Women and girls from the interior are brought to the capital city and also to various gold mining locations in the interior. Several clubs in the capital also are known for recruiting women from Brazil and the Caribbean. While prostitution is illegal, the law is not enforced. The police have an informal agreement with many "hotel" or brothel owners to allow them to proceed with their business as long as they do not hold the women's passports and the women are not mistreated. Random checks are performed on the establishments weekly; in several instances, police officers work as advisers to the owners.

 

SURINAME - STANDARD WORKWEEK

Work in excess of 9 hours per day or 45 hours per week on a regular basis requires special government permission, which is granted routinely. Such overtime work earns premium pay. The law requires one 24-hour rest period per week.

 

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