National Assembly |10 December 2025
Employees win back full 13th month pay
By Mandy Bertin
The National Assembly has approved the Employment Bill 2025, as amended, during yesterday’s sitting. The bill was presented before the National Assembly by the Minister for Employment and Human Resource Planning, Idith Alexander.
When presenting it, Minister Alexander said the amendment had to be made to remove the performance-based evaluation component previously linked to the 13th month pay. The previous administration initiated the 13th month pay on a performance-based incentive in 2022, with 50 percent payment being mandatory and 50 percent performance based.
“We are proposing that, as from 2026, the 13th month pay returns to 100 percent of the worker’s basic salary, without any performance evaluation attached,” Minister Alexander said.
“A worker is the most important resource in any organisation, and for that reason the government is restoring the full benefit,” she stated.
The minister clarified that the 13th month pay is based solely on basic salary and does not include allowances or other benefits. It also remains independent from bonuses.
According to Minister Alexander, the government’s decision to remove the performance-evaluation component does not mean it undervalues staff performance.
She pointed out that organisations should use these performance assessments to offer other benefits to employees such as promotions, salary increments and training opportunities.
All existing provisions governing eligibility for the 13th month pay will remain. These include only Seychellois workers qualify for the 13th month pay; employees not eligible include expatriates, trainees on skills-development contracts, and those earning above R45,450 per month. The payment deadline remains the same, meaning that an employer has until January 31 of the following year to make all payments.
Minister Alexander also spoke about the pro-rata calculations, which means you get paid in line with the amount of time they have actually worked, and this applies in the following circumstance: if an employee was not employed at the start of the year, the person will only receive payment for the months worked.
She gave an example of an employee who started on March 1, who completed their three-month probation, and remains employed on December 31, in this case the employee will receive a portion of the salary which represents 10 months. Those who resign during the year will also be paid only for the months worked.
Employees absent for more than 14 weeks due to training will receive a reduced amount to reflect time away. Individuals in employment who take unpaid leave exceeding one month will be paid proportionally. Those in employment who are detained by police or on remand will only receive payment for months actually worked. Employees who qualify for the 13th month pay will receive it without any tax deductions.
“A worker who qualifies deserves to receive their 13th month pay in full. The 13th month pay is enshrined in law, and failure by employers to pay it constitutes an offence. Employers who do not comply may face a fine of up to R20,000,” she pointed out.
She noted the government recognises that some small businesses may find it difficult to meet their obligations in terms of paying their workers their 13th month pay. For this reason, the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning, Trade and Investment has allocated a sum of five million rupees to help support them.
A committee comprising representatives from the three ministries – employment, finance, and industry – has been established and further details on the mechanism will be announced soon.
In her closing remarks, Minister Alexander also answered some concerns raised, and confirmed that all Seychellois workers at the Indian Ocean Tuna Limited (IOT) company will receive their 13th month pay.
“The Employment Act does not cover the Seychelles International Trade Zone (SITZ), as organisations operating within the zone fall under the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The ministry has been working closely with the FSA, and the government has confirmed that all IOT employees, the largest group of workers under the SITZ, will receive their 13th month pay. Of the 488 Seychellois workers in the SITZ, 453 have already been confirmed, representing 92.8 percent. The remaining 35 workers from 12 organisations, have not yet been confirmed, and the ministry is calling on them to consider granting their employees their 13th month pay,” she concluded.
Yesterday’s session also saw the first reading on the Cybercrime and other related crimes (Amendment) Bill, 2025.