The Ministry of Employment, Labour and Social Security has issued a strong warning to employers across Sierra Leone to comply fully with Section 25 of the Employment Act, 2023, particularly provisions relating to the protection and payment of workers’ End-of-Service and Gratuity Benefits.
The Ministry, in a public notice dated September 16, 2026, reminded all employers, both public and private, of their statutory obligations under the law and urged them to immediately review their existing arrangements to ensure full compliance.
Section 25 of the Employment Act, 2023 (Act No. 15 of 2023), requires employers to establish a separate End-of-Service/Gratuity Benefits Bank Account for the payment of workers’ terminal benefits.
Employers are also required to submit an annual status report of the account to the Commissioner of Labour and comply with prescribed arrangements governing such accounts.
The Ministry further emphasized that funds held in the designated account must not be withdrawn without prior written notice to the Commissioner of Labour.
According to the Ministry, those requirements are mandatory statutory obligations and are not optional measures for employers operating in Sierra Leone.
The Ministry has therefore strongly urged all employers to review their End-of-Service and Gratuity Benefit arrangements and take the necessary steps to ensure that they conform to the provisions of the Employment Act, 2023.
The public notice warns that any employer or responsible officer who fails to comply with Section 25 commits an offence. Upon conviction, the offender is liable to a fine of not less than 300 months of the national minimum wage, imprisonment for a term of not less than three years or both.
The law also provides for the possible closure of an offending establishment in the case of a repeat offender, subject to the applicable statutory requirements.
The Ministry said it will intensify monitoring and enforcement measures to ensure workers’ End-of-Service and Gratuity Benefits are properly protected and that employers comply with the law.
It called on all employers to take the requirements seriously and comply fully with Section 25, warning that defaulters will face the consequences prescribed by law.
The Ministry concluded its notice with a clear warning to employers: “You have been warned.”
