ARTICLE · 02 FEBRUARY 2024

The Law On Overtime Work In Ghana

VINT & Aletheia Attorneys and Consultants

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This short article seeks to explain what overtime is, what the law in Ghana states and why you should be informed on it as an employee.

GhanaEmployment and HR

VINT & Aletheia Attorneys and Consultants

This short article seeks to explain what overtime is, what the law in Ghana states and why you should be informed on it as an employee.

Overtime is defined by Black's Law Dictionary (8th Edition) as hours that are worked in addition to an employee's usual working hours (depending on company rules, contracts, union agreements and the law).

In Ghana, overtime work is regulated by the Labour Act 2003 ("Act 651"). It is simply the additional hours that a worker works aside the fixed hours of work agreed upon by the worker and the employer.

An example would be where the agreed upon working hours are 8 am to 5pm from Monday to Friday yet the worker closes at 9 pm each day. The extra 4 hours worked would be considered as overtime work.

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