2024 EMPLOYMENT BILL: APPROVED BY THE SENATE
On December 11, 2024, the Senate approved the 2024 Employment Bill.
The new provisions, previously approved by the Chamber of Deputies, include:
- Regulation of the probationary period in fixed-term contracts: The duration of the probationary period in fixed-term employment contracts is set at one day of actual work for every fifteen calendar days from the start date of the employment relationship. The probationary period cannot be less than two days nor more than fifteen days for contracts with a duration of up to six months, and not less than two days and more than thirty days for contracts longer than six months and shorter than twelve months.
- Introduction of an authentic interpretation rule for seasonal contracts;
- A mandatory communication to be made within 5 days for Agile work;
- Equating unjustified absence to resignation:An employee's unjustified absence beyond the period provided by the applicable collective agreement or, in the absence of such provision, for a period exceeding fifteen days, results in the termination of the employment relationship at the employee's will. In such cases, the employer is required to notify the ITL, which can verify the authenticity. The current regulations on telematic resignations do not apply in this case. The employee must prove the impossibility, due to force majeure or attributable to the employer, of communicating the reasons justifying the absence.
- Introduction of dual apprenticeship, merging professional apprenticeship and higher education and research apprenticeship.
Further measures are also planned regarding health surveillance, labor supply, apprenticeship, and contribution disputes.
The new rules are now awaiting promulgation and subsequent publication in the Official Gazette for their entry into force.
Update: The 2024 Labor Bill was published in the Official Gazette (General Series No. 303) on December 28, 2024. Law No. 203/2024 will come into effect on January 12, 2025.
