Working Hours in Latvia

In Latvia a work day may not exceed 8 hours; a working week is 40 hours and foresees five days of work. A six day work week is allowed if approved by employee representatives, in this case the length of the work day is reduced to maximum of 7 hours. Work on Saturdays must end earlier than on other working days and working days before public holidays are reduced by one hour.

Overtime is not allowed to exceed 144 hours in a four month period. If the employee is required to do overtime on a public holiday, they are entitled to additional payment of minimum 100% of their usual pay.

The complete conditions detailing night work, shift work, work breaks as well as weekly rest periods can be found on the EURES job mobility portal.

Wages & Salaries in Latvia

As of January 2015, the minimal monthly salary is 360 EUR, the minimum hourly rate is 2.166 EUR. In 2014 the average gross salary was 765 EUR, and the average net salary was 560 EUR. The average salaries in the public sector are slightly higher than those in the private sector.

Work Contracts in Latvia

An employment contract must be made in writing and has to have two copies: one for the employee, the other for the employer. In general, contacts have to be concluded for an indefinite term, the Labor Code allows for finite term contracts only in a few cases, most notably, for seasonal or casual work, or paid public work.

An employment contract should contain the following information:

• Name, personal identity number, and address of the employee
• Name, registration number, and address of the employer/company
• Starting date
• If applicable, duration of the contract
• Place of work
• The employee's profession and general description of the job
• Salary and time of payment
• Daily or weekly working hours
• Duration of annual paid leave
• Period of giving notice
• Reference to any applicable collective agreements and terms of employment

Additional information about the employment rights in Latvian can be found on the homepage of the State Labor Inspectorate.

Termination

An employee can terminate the employment contract by written notice at least one month in advance. If the employer agrees, the contract may be terminated also before the end of the notice period. An exception is the trial period when both the employee and the employer can terminate the contract with three days' written notice.

An employer is allowed to terminate the contract on grounds of (1) inappropriate behavior or abilities of the employee, (2) organizational, technological, or other measures undertaken at the company, e.g. ones leading to collective layoff. Depending on the reason, the notice may be immediate, 10 days, or one month.

The law forbids terminating contracts with pregnant women, women in the postnatal period, as well as employees with disabilities.

Time Off in Latvia

Employees are entitled to annual paid leave of at least four weeks per year. The leave can be taken in installments in which case one of the installments has to be at least two weeks long. In the first year of work, an employee is entitled to taking a paid leave after working for six full months.

Paid compensation for annual leave is only allowed in cases when the employee has not used their annual paid leave before terminating the working contract.

Public Holidays in Latvia

The following days are public holidays in Latvia:

• New Year's Day - 1^st January
• Good Friday - usually March/April
• Easter Sunday - usually March/April
• Easter Monday - usually March/April
• Labor Day - 1^st May
• Declaration of Independence - 4^th May
• Mother's Day - a Sunday in May
• Whitsun - a Sunday in June
• Midsummer's Eve - 23^rd June
• St. John's Day - 24^th June
• Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia - 18^th November
• Christmas - 24^th to 26^th December
• New Year's Eve - 31^st December

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