With over twenty years’ experience in this field, this Côte D’Ivoire lawyer has seen the ins and outs of the West African employment landscape, having worked with some of the biggest names, and witnessed some of the most impacting shifts in labour and employment law in West Africa.
Lawyer Monthly hears from Raymond about the employment sphere in his country, the issues companies can face in a nation of turmoil such as Cote d’Ivoire, and the experience that has helped him push further in the West African employment sector.
How comprehensive do you think Cote d’Ivoire employment law is?
Ivory Coast labour law is comprehensive as the new labour code of 2015 covers employment relationship as well as labor union, training programs and internship for students.
What are common mistakes companies fall into the trap of making when hiring employees? How do you help firms overcome these obstacles?
Many companies believe they can put whatever clauses in the employment agreement ignoring that labour law is governed by strong public policy rules.
With over 23 years’ experience as a specialist employment lawyer, how have you seen the employment sphere adapt and evolve in West Africa over the last decade?
The employment in West Africa has emerged in the last 10 years in West Africa with the competition of local engineering and business schools and the return of US and European trained employees as a result of the global financial crisis. These employees represent a valuable and quality task force that has drastically changed the demand in human resources. However legal practitioners still remain a scarce resource as the demand from law firms is high.
What would you say the next decade holds in terms of legislative development for the future generations of employment lawyers in West Africa?
Based on the challenging development programs of most West African countries (most countries’ dream is to become emergent by 2020 or 2025), key regulations that support economic development are necessary to be passed and among them ambitious law and employment regulations. Young lawyers should be able to anticipate and understand the legal implications of such regulation adaptation.
How has your experience at Unilever helped with the worked you do now?
Unilever is a big machine and school. Being the general counsel and the executive board secretary I was involved in the company’s strategic decisions. I advised the company’s officers and HR director on various aspects of labour law for our approximately 7,000 employees across francophone Africa. This has significantly developed my expertise in providing practical advice to my clients today.
And samely, how has your experience at PwC contributed towards your current expertise in this field? PwC gave me the opportunity to deal with labour law issues through different sectors of activities; from telecoms to oil and gas, from industrial to banking etc. Payroll and personal income tax were the most valuable achievements with PwC.
