Answer ... The Labour Law provides that the wage payable to an employee must at least be sufficient to cover the employee and his or her family’s basic needs, and must reflect the nature of the work, provided that it is not less than the statutory minimum wage.

The statutory minimum wage is determined by committees comprising representatives of the Ministry of Labour, employers and employees, and shall be reviewed subject to economic circumstances.

At the time of writing, the statutory minimum wage in Lebanon is equal to LBP 675,000 (approximately $450), as determined by Decree 7426/2012.

Answer ... In principle, the working week shall not exceed 48 hours.

The minister of labour may decide to reduce the statutory maximum working hours for exhausting work or work that is harmful to health, or to increase it for certain other work, such as that in restaurants and cafes.

The daily maximum working hours may be increased to 12 hours in urgent cases, provided that:

• the Ministry of Labour is notified within 24 hours of the matter and of the time needed to accomplish the work; and
• the wage pertaining to overtime hours is equal to one and a half times the usual hourly wage.

Moreover, employees are entitled to weekly rest of not less than 36 continuous hours. The employer may determine the day of rest, as appropriate. The employee is entitled to compensation or time off in lieu for any rest days worked.

The provisions of the Labour Law regarding working hours and rest days are mandatory. However, an employee may benefit from more favourable terms included in his or her employment contract or a collective agreement.

Answer ... An employee is entitled to 15 days’ annual leave on full pay after completing one year of employment. The employer may determine the timing of such annual leave based on work requirements.

Employees cannot be terminated during their annual leave, unless the employee has been employed by another employer during such period.

The provisions of the Labour Law regarding annual leave are mandatory. However, an employee may benefit from more favourable terms included in his or her employment contract or a collective agreement.

Answer ... Any sickness contracted by the employee as a result of his or her job or any occupational accident shall be subject to the Occupational Emergencies and Injuries Law. As for other sicknesses and accidents not related to the job, the Labour Law grants the employees the right to a yearly sick leave as follows.

Sick leave is granted to the employee based on a medical report. The employer can ask its own doctor to confirm the content of a medical report presented by the employee.

Sick leave is granted to the employee as needed up to the maximum yearly cap to which the employee is entitled based on his or her years of service, as detailed above. If this period exceeds one month, the employer is entitled to reduce the employee’s annual leave to eight days.

The employee cannot be terminated while on sick leave, unless he or she has been employed by another employer during such period.

The provisions of the Labour Law regarding sick leave are mandatory. However, an employee may benefit from more favourable terms included in his or her employment contract or a collective agreement.

Answer ... The retirement age is 60 for men and 55 for women.

The statutory retirement age is not of public order and an employee may work beyond this age if allowed to do so by the employer’s internal regulations or by collective agreement. An employee who elects to work beyond the statutory retirement age (where permissible) shall remain subject to the provisions of the Labour Law. However, in all cases, the employee shall automatically cease to be subject to the provisions of the Labour Law as of the age of 64 and shall thereafter be subject to the provisions of the Code of Obligations and Contracts.