Burkina Faso: New labour code Minister Mathias Traoré calls for a balance between workers’ rights and competitiveness
Minister of Public Service Mathias Traoré presented a new labour code bill before the People’s Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, aimed at replacing the 2008 version.
The proposed reform follows a critical assessment by the General Affairs, Institutional and Human Rights Commission (CAGIDH), which highlighted major flaws in the existing law.
Criticisms include unlimited renewal of fixed-term contracts, weak regulation of temporary work, limited protection for employee representatives, caps on damages for unfair dismissal, and restrictions on the right to strike.
Minister Traoré stressed that the new code seeks to balance economic, social, and political interests among workers, employers, and the state.
It also aims to strengthen collective bargaining to ease social dialogue.
Key objectives include fostering job creation, valuing human capital, enhancing business competitiveness, and promoting decent work while ensuring better worker protection.
The bill also addresses modern challenges such as work digitalisation and new employment forms.
Lawmakers are now reviewing the text, whose adoption could mark a major shift in labour relations in Burkina Faso.
Olivier TOE
