Practice Area
Employment & Labour Law
Most Ethiopian labour disputes are lost before they begin — in a contract that was never signed, a warning that was never written, or a termination letter sent a day too late.
Labour Proclamation No. 1156/2019 gives Ethiopian employees strong protections and gives employers a narrow, procedural path for lawful discipline and termination. We keep employers on that path and make sure employees receive what the law promises them.
For employers
- Employment contracts, probation terms and fixed-term arrangements that comply with the Proclamation
- Work rules, HR policies and disciplinary procedures that will stand up before the labour board
- Lawful termination: grounds, notice, severance calculation and documentation
- Collective agreements and relations with trade unions
- Defence of unlawful-dismissal claims before labour benches and appellate courts
- Restructuring and workforce-reduction procedures
For employees and executives
We advise senior employees on service agreements and negotiate or litigate wrongful-dismissal, severance and back-pay claims. Deadlines in labour matters are short and unforgiving; if your employment has been terminated, get advice within days, not months.
The practical difference
Reinstatement with back pay is a real remedy in Ethiopia, not a theoretical one. A termination that skips a procedural step can cost an employer years of wages. Our compliance work is designed to make sure you never learn that in a courtroom.