On Ethiopian Labor Proclamation

As China and Ethiopia trade frequently in the recent years, to set up the good enterprise image and build harmonious employee condition are very necessary for investors. Due to the history and culture differences between two countries, labor legislation also has a certain difference. In order to handle the relations between enterprise and labors, and avoid the unnecessary dispute, to understand the Ethiopian labor law is the top priority.The history of Ethiopia’s labor law is about fifty years, and the main research object for this paper is the “Labor Proclamation 2003”. This law covered the labor relations, working conditions and basic guarantees, labor disputes and many other aspects. Although the coverage is widespread, the labor legislation still very limited because many related legal system is not established. From the view of legal texts, it has a stronger protection for labors, and more stringent for employers. Therefore, to reduce the disputes and build harmonious relations, in addition to respect the law and procedures, investors should also focus on collective agreement and Ethiopia’s bilateral or multilateral treaties.The first and second part of the thesis explained why we have to study the Labor Proclamation of Ethiopia, and introduced the sources of law. Then, in the third part, through the basic study of “Labor Proclamation 2003”, the analysis of labor relations, working conditions, insurance and labor dispute resolutions were presented. The last part summarized the characteristics of this law, analyzed the unfavorable factors for enterprises, and offered some suggestions for the Chinese investors on how to deal with the problems exist in the labor relations. Meanwhile, it’s far from enough to handle the relations between labors and employers by study the labor law, investors also need to do the research on the local pay level, to use the amicable dispute resolution, and to undertake the obligations of enterprises.