Telework Labor Regime Advances in Honduras

Honduras has advanced a labor law that upholds telework as a “valid and protected form of employment.” The Law on the Telework Labor Regime is aligned with the International Labour Organization’s recommendations for telework and is similar to the legal frameworks in place in other Latin American countries.

The law has received second reading approval. To become fully enacted, the law must be signed by the Honduran president and published in the official journal La Gaceta.

For the purposes of this legislation, telework is defined as “the performance of work activities outside the traditional workplace, using information and communication technologies (ICT).” The principles of voluntariness, reversibility, equal treatment, shared responsibility, and the right to digital disconnection apply to telework under the Honduran law.

In addition to these principles, workers who engage in telework will enjoy all rights under the Honduran Labor Code. These include rights that address working hours, fair remuneration, vacation leave, social security, trade union organization, job stability, and decent working conditions.

Organizations that employ teleworkers are required to provide the equipment and tools these workers need to perform their duties and ensure occupational health and safety conditions in the space where they carry out their work.

The law also creates mechanisms for performance supervision and control. These mechanisms must respect the worker’s privacy and avoid the use of any intrusive surveillance or technological abuse.

Source: Littler