Penalty Regulations: How to Draft Them Correctly

Clear penalty regulations make treatment fair for everyone and make your decisions easier. Here are the requirements:

1. Approved and posted

They must be approved by PAM before being applied (Art. 36) and posted in a visible place (Art. 35).

2. Five rules for drafting them (Art. 35)

• Define each violation and its penalty.
• Penalties must be progressive.
• Only one penalty for each violation.
• No penalty for something discovered more than 15 days ago.
• A violation outside the workplace is not penalised unless it is related to work.

3. Before any penalty (Art. 37)

• Give the employee written notice.
• Hear the employee's account and defence.
• Keep a record in the employee's file.
• Notify the employee in writing of the penalty and its reason.

4. Deduction limits

• No more than 5 days per month; the remainder carries over to the following months (Art. 38).
• Suspension for investigation is a maximum of 10 days. If the employee is cleared, their wages are restored (Art. 39).
• Deducted amounts go to a fund for the benefit of workers, not the employer (Art. 40).