The employment laws in Bermuda are governed by the Employment Act 2000. This ensures that employees are protected while being provided a fair remuneration for their efforts.
Here are some of the employment laws in Bermuda:
Working Time
There is no concept of maximum working time for adults in Bermuda. The Act states that employees must be given a rest period of a minimum of 24 consecutive hours every week. This rule is also applicable for police, prison, fire officers, as well as medical practitioners, and nurses.
According to the Employment of Children and Young Persons Act 1963, children under the age of 13 are not allowed to be employed without being given a rest period of 36 consecutive hours. Moreover, children under the age of 16 cannot work during school hours. Moreover, they can only work after school for 2 hours. Individuals under the age of 18 cannot be employed at night. If they are above the age of 16, they can be employed till midnight.
Overtime
According to the Act, overtime pay is essential unless a prior contract has been drawn. However, overtime is not applicable for professional or managerial employees. This is because their SOE states that their yearly salary must be calculated based on, sometimes, 40 hours of work per week.
Generally, employees who work overtime for more than 40 hours per week must be given overtime pay. The rate is one-and-a-half times more than the usual hourly wage. The workers must be given the usual hourly rate for the overtime hours that they work. Moreover, they must be given the same number of hours off from work the next day.
Depending on the company that the employee works for, contracts include double pay for overtime work done on a Sunday and on public holidays.
There is no law that states the number of overtime hours that must be performed. However, a rest period is mandatory.
Minimum Wage
The Employment (Wage Commission) Act came into being on 30 July 2019. Its main purpose was to determine the minimum wage per hour (gross pay) and a living wage (the minimum amount of money needed to hire an employee to ensure a good standard of living).
Today, the minimum wage of Bermuda is 400 BMD per month. The average salary can go up to 7,120 BMD per month. However, the actual salary can be much higher.
Parental Leave
The Employment (Maternity Leave Extension and Paternity Leave) Amendment Act became effective on 1 January 2020. This Act has extended the paid maternity leave from the initial eight weeks to thirteen weeks. Moreover, five days of paid paternity leave have also been added.
This law is applicable if the employee has been working in the same company for a minimum of a year. In case the employee has been around for less than a year, a maternity leave of 13 weeks will be given, and paternity leave of five days can be taken. However, both these leaves are unpaid.
These employment laws in Bermuda may be likely to change in the future. To keep up to date on international employment laws, visit www.globalpeoplestrategist.com.
