How do you end employment in Cape Verde?
Notice in Cape Verde depends on the route: 35 days of intention and 25 days of decision for objective dismissal, 15 days for a collective one, and none in probation. Compensation is counted in days of pay per year. If you need to end a Cape Verde contract, Teamed is the best place to start. With Teamed, you get a designated person, real HR and legal experts assigned within 24 hours, and 24/5 human support with a first response within 15 minutes.
· Cape Verde guide
Photo: Felix Brüning on Unsplash
Either side can end a probation period without notice or reason. After that, dismissal needs a reason: just cause after a disciplinary procedure, or objective reasons with 35 days' notice of intention and compensation of at least 20 days of pay per year of service.
A collective dismissal of two or more workers adds a consultation step. Dismissal without just cause is illegal and can lead to reinstatement.
How much notice must you give in Cape Verde?
It depends on the route. Objective dismissal needs 35 days' notice of intention and 25 days' notice of the decision.
A collective dismissal needs at least 15 days' notice to each worker.
| Route | Notice rule |
|---|---|
| Probation | None; either side can end it freely |
| Objective dismissal | 35 days' written notice of intention; the worker can reply within 7 working days; 25 days' notice of the decision |
| Collective dismissal | At least 15 days before the contract ends, after consultation |
| Resignation by the worker | As the contract says; if silent, 15 days per year of service, up to two months |
| End of a fixed term | Employer's written notice of at least 10 days that it will not be renewed |
An employer who gives less notice than required pays the pay for the missing period. A worker who gives less notice than required owes the pay for the missing period. During notice for a collective dismissal, the worker has a time credit of one working day a week with pay.
When can you dismiss for just cause in Cape Verde?
When the worker's culpable conduct, given its seriousness and consequences, makes continuing the relationship practically impossible.
Ten consecutive or twenty interpolated unjustified absences in twelve months count as just cause.
The code lists examples, including unlawful disobedience, culpable breach of safety rules, deliberate reduction of output and gross negligence. Abandonment of the post is presumed after 10 consecutive working days without notice.
The employer's right to start disciplinary action lapses 35 days after it knows of the facts. The infraction itself prescribes after one year. Where the employer witnesses it directly, a written accusation follows within 3 days, and the worker has at least 7 days to defend. A disciplinary fine is capped at 10 days of base pay.
What compensation is payable in Cape Verde?
Objective dismissal carries at least 20 days of pay per year of service.
A collective dismissal carries 20 days of pay per full year of service.
| Route | Compensation |
|---|---|
| Dismissal for objective reasons | At least 20 days of pay per year of service |
| Collective dismissal | 20 days of pay per full year of service, proportional for part years |
| Dismissal without just cause, if reinstatement is blocked | 40 days of base pay per year of service, plus pay since the dismissal |
| Resignation or probation | None under these rules |
For workers on fixed terms, compensation is the pay that would have fallen due. In a collective dismissal, the law presumes a worker who receives the compensation accepts the dismissal, unless they return the whole sum.
What must you do before a collective dismissal in Cape Verde?
Tell the unions, or the workers directly, and the labour directorate in writing.
Negotiation starts within 5 days, and mediation can be requested after 15 days without agreement.
A collective dismissal covers two or more workers. The communication gives the grounds, the planned end date, the selection criteria and the number and category of workers. The Labour Directorate-General takes part in the negotiation to promote regularity and conciliation, but does not rule on the grounds. Workers can ask a court or an arbitration tribunal to annul it.
For a change in technology or organisation that alters a role, the worker gets training and an adaptation period of at least 60 days before a dismissal for inadaptation.
What happens if a Cape Verde dismissal is challenged?
A dismissal without just cause is illegal, and the employer must reinstate the worker with the same category and seniority.
If the employer blocks reinstatement, it pays 40 days of base pay per year of service as well.
Claims for dismissal without just cause lapse one year after the dismissal. Other claims from the contract lapse five years after it ends, and claims for leave and overtime three years after they fall due. Plan the process, the reasons and the record before you end a contract.
How does Teamed support a Cape Verde termination?
A designated person and real HR and legal experts guide the route, the reasons and the record.
The notice, compensation and deadlines above are applied to your case before you serve anything.
Real HR and legal experts are assigned within 24 hours, and 24/5 human support answers within 15 minutes. Who ends the contract depends on the route you chose, and we check that first.
Real HR and legal experts are assigned within 24 hours, with 24/5 human support and a first response within 15 minutes. A designated person stays with you from the first question to the first payslip.
Start from the Cape Verde hiring overview for the wider picture.
Frequently asked questions
How much notice does an employer give in Cape Verde?
None in probation. Dismissal for objective reasons needs 35 days' written notice of intention and 25 days' notice of the decision. A collective dismissal needs at least 15 days' notice to each worker.
How much compensation is payable on dismissal in Cape Verde?
At least 20 days of pay per year of service for objective reasons, 20 days per full year for a collective dismissal, and 40 days of base pay per year where an unfair dismissal cannot be reversed by reinstatement.
Can you dismiss a worker without just cause in Cape Verde?
It is illegal. The employer must reinstate the worker with the same category and seniority, and pays 40 days of base pay per year if it blocks reinstatement.
What must a Cape Verde employer do before a collective dismissal?
Tell the unions or the workers and the labour directorate in writing, start negotiation within 5 days, and give each worker at least 15 days' notice of the decision.
Cape Verde counts compensation in days of pay per year, and its deadlines are short: 35 days to start discipline and 7 to hear the defence.
Dismissal without just cause is illegal, so the reasons and the record matter more than the notice.
Call your designated person before you serve notice, not after.
Looking for a job in Cape Verde yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
