Federal civil servants' leave in Ethiopia: annual, sick, maternity and working hours

Working hours

Regular working hours are at least 39 and at most 48 a week (Article 56). The Council of Ministers sets when office hours start and end (Article 57). If you work overtime, you can choose compensatory leave or overtime pay (Article 58). A directive from the Commission sets the conditions and the amount.

Annual leave

• You can't take annual leave until you've served 11 months (Article 60)
• 20 working days for your first year (Article 61)
• One more working day for each extra year of service, up to 30 (Article 61)
• Earlier service in federal, city and regional government offices counts (Article 61)

First year: 20 working days
5 years: 24 working days
11 years or more: 30 working days

You can ask for your monthly salary in advance when you take annual leave (Article 62). If you resign before the end of the budget year after taking it, you pay back the part you haven't worked for.

Postponed and unused leave

If the office can't give you leave in the budget year, its head can postpone it for two budget years, and you get the saved leave in the third (Article 63). You can then claim payment for the first of those years. There's no cash in place of leave otherwise (Article 60). When your appointment ends, you're paid for unused working days of leave (Article 64).

Daily salary = 12,000 / 30 = 400 Birr (Article 63)
10 days x 400 = 4,000 Birr, before any deductions

Maternity and paternity leave

• Paid leave for medical examinations, on a doctor's recommendation (Article 65)
• 30 consecutive days before the expected birth and 90 consecutive days after it, 120 days with pay in total (Article 65)
• If you give birth early, you get the unused days after the birth (Article 65)
• If the birth comes after the expected date, the extra days before it come from your annual leave (Article 65)
• Paternity leave: 10 working days with pay when your wife gives birth (Article 65)

Article 65 also has rules for miscarriage. A miscarriage after six months or more of pregnancy, before prenatal leave, gives 60 days. A miscarriage while on prenatal leave gives the 90 days. A miscarriage at three to six months gives leave with pay. Article 65 has the full wording, and the medical proof each case needs.

Sick leave

• Up to eight months in a year, or twelve months in four years, once you've finished probation (Article 66)
• Full pay for the first six months and half pay for the last two (Article 66)
• One month with pay if you're on probation, with a medical certificate (Article 66)
• Tell your office as soon as you can (Article 66)
• Bring a medical certificate if you're away three days in a row, or more than six days in a budget year (Article 66)

The certificate must come from a licensed local medical institution, public or private, or be verified if it's from abroad (Article 67). If you fall sick on annual leave and bring a certificate, the annual leave stops and carries on after your sick leave (Article 66).

Other leave

• Seven days in a budget year for personal matters such as mourning, a wedding or an exam (Article 68)
• Paid leave to take part in an election, and for the time a court or other authority summons you (Article 69)
• Unpaid leave of up to one year on justifiable grounds, if the head of the office agrees and it doesn't harm the office (Article 70)

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