Labor Law in Bolivia

National minimum standards apply to dependent work in private and public entities covered by the General Labour Law (Ley General del Trabajo (LGT)). The Bolivian Constitution protects dignified, stable, and non-discriminatory work, adequate pay, occupational safety, freedom of association, and collective bargaining. Labor rules are mandatory; as a general rule, employees cannot effectively waive statutory employment rights. Agricultural work is partly subject to special rules, public employees are generally governed by the Public Officials Statute (Estatuto del Funcionario Público), and domestic workers by Law 2450. There is no general regional exception for individual departments or municipalities for this overview. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Welfare (Ministerio de Trabajo, Empleo y Previsión Social (MTEPS)) develops and supervises labor administration. The Departmental or Regional Labour Offices (Jefaturas Departamentales o Regionales de Trabajo) receive complaints, conduct inspections and conciliations, and may order the restoration of violated rights. The General Directorate of Labour, the General Directorate of Occupational Hygiene and Safety, and the General Directorate of Trade Union Affairs handle specialized areas. Labor courts enforce claims when an administrative decision is insufficient or a claim is disputed. An employment contract may be concluded orally or in writing. The employment relationship can be proven with all admissible evidence, such as payslips, bank payments, attendance records, messages, social-security records, and witness testimony. The actual work carries more weight than the contract label. Indefinite, fixed-term, seasonal, work- or service-specific, conditional, and training-related contracts are possible. A fixed-term contract requires a temporary objective need; abusive use of a fixed term may lead to a dispute over an indefinite employment relationship. Depending on the case, employers must keep payroll records, register employees, and use the Mandatory Employer Registry (Registro Obligatorio de Empleadores (ROE)) and the Virtual Procedures Office (Oficina Virtual de Trámites (OVT)). The regular maximum working time is eight hours per day and 48 hours per week. Night work is generally limited to seven hours. Under the LGT rules, women and minors under 18 may work no more than 40 hours per week on the day shift. Certain positions of trust, management activities, or interrupted work are subject to special limits of up to twelve hours per day, including a one-hour break. Ordinary breaks must total at least two hours; no more than five hours of uninterrupted work are предусмотрены. Overtime is generally limited to two hours per day and requires the approval prescribed by law from the labor inspection. Overtime and work on public holidays carry a 100 percent premium; night work receives an additional 25 to 50 percent depending on the case. Sunday and holiday work may also trigger a compensatory rest day or a statutory premium. After one year of uninterrupted employment, paid vacation entitlements arise. They amount to 15 working days for service of one to five years, 20 working days for more than five to ten years, and 30 working days after more than ten years. Payment during the ongoing employment relationship is generally excluded, while outstanding vacation must be considered when employment ends. A division into no more than three periods may be made at the employee's written request; accumulation is governed by applicable special rules, including Supreme Decree 4709 (Decreto Supremo 4709). For 2026, the statutory minimum wage in Bolivia is Bs3,300 for the public and private sectors. This represents a 20 percent increase over 2025 and applies retroactively from January 1, 2026. Part-time work is calculated proportionally. The minimum wage may not be undermined by directly or indirectly crediting other wage components against it. Ministerial Resolution 088/26 does not establish a general wage increase beyond the minimum wage. Workers must generally be paid at least every 15 working days; employees and domestic workers must generally be paid monthly. Permanent commissions and profit-based remuneration may count as employment income for statutory calculations. Pay discrimination based on sex or nationality is prohibited. Depending on the requirements, remuneration includes the Christmas bonus (Aguinaldo de Navidad), calculated using an average qualifying monthly wage or corresponding twelfths, an annual profit-based bonus under the LGT, and, after every five years of service, a five-year service benefit (Quinquenio) upon application. Social benefits arise after at least three months of uninterrupted employment. The final settlement (finiquito) includes, among other items, outstanding wages, compensation, vacation, the Christmas bonus, and other accrued entitlements. The employer must generally pay it within 15 calendar days and have it confirmed by the MTEPS. A delay may result in a 30 percent surcharge and, where applicable, an adjustment under the Housing Development Unit (Unidad de Fomento de Vivienda (UFV)). Monthly wage reporting through the OVT generally takes place between the first and fifteenth day of the month. Employers must protect life, health, and physical integrity, prevent occupational accidents and diseases, ensure sufficient ventilation and hygiene, provide personal protective equipment, and, where applicable, maintain internal work rules. The inspection rules under Ministerial Resolution 1444/23 permit document reviews, workplace inspections, follow-up checks, and orders to restore violated rights. Employees receive special protection during pregnancy and parenthood until the child's first birthday. Statutory protections also exist for persons with disabilities and caregiving relatives, as well as special limits on child and adolescent work. The Constitution prohibits unjustified dismissals and workplace harassment. Complaints by women concerning harassment or violence may be handled under MTEPS procedures based on Law 348 and Ministerial Resolution 196/21. Employees may organize in trade unions. A permanently established and legally recognized recognized trade union (Sindicato) may, depending on the sector, be formed by at least 20 members of an occupation or by 50 percent of the workforce of an industrial enterprise; current procedural rules must also be checked. Legal personality is requested through the MTEPS. Trade-union protection (fuero sindical) generally protects elected union representatives from dismissal or transfer without prior proceedings or free consent; constitutional protection normally extends one year beyond the mandate. Collective disputes begin with a collective demands document (pliego) and proceed through conciliation to arbitration. A strike requires the prescribed prior steps and the approval of three quarters of the active employees; public services are subject to additional restrictions. In an individual dispute, an employee may contact the competent office, file a complaint, and trigger a labor inspection, summons, hearing, or conciliation. The procedure may end in a record or an order restoring rights. For unjustified dismissal, special dismissal protection, unpaid wages, or trade-union protection, Law 1468 together with Ministerial Resolution 1377/22 provides a special administrative procedure. The authority may order immediate reinstatement and payment of outstanding wages. A review must generally be requested within five working days and has no suspensive effect. If the order is ignored, judicial enforcement may generally be requested within ten working days; the court generally issues the enforcement order within three working days. Employment may end by agreement, expiry or completion of a fixed-term contract, resignation, a legally recognized dismissal, or closure and liquidation. In cases of unjustified dismissal, the employee may choose between accrued benefits and reinstatement where the law permits. Compensation generally amounts to one qualifying monthly wage per year of service, apportioned for months and days. A desahucio, meaning an additional dismissal payment, applies only when its specific requirements are met. Compensation may also arise after more than 90 days in the case of a qualifying voluntary termination. The final settlement remains subject to the 15-calendar-day deadline. Claims and procedures each have their own limitation and deadline rules; there is no single blanket deadline for all employment-law claims.