The maximum is three months. Article 10 of Law No. 5953 calls it the "trial period" and sets an important limit: it may be applied only to journalists entering the profession for the first time.
Who Can It Be Applied To?
This departs from Law 4857: under the Labour Law a probation period may be applied at every new hire, whereas Law 5953 ties it to entry into the profession.
Termination During Probation
The article grants a special regime for this period: the parties may terminate the contract without being bound by the notice period or by compensation. Neither the employer must observe the one-month notice period nor the journalist.
| Situation | Notice period | Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Within the probation period (max. 3 months) | None | None |
| After probation, seniority under 5 years | 1 month | Severance arises |
| After probation, seniority 5 years and above | 3 months | Severance arises |
A Written Contract Is Mandatory at the End of the Period
The article adds a further condition: at the end of the trial period the contract must be made in writing. Failing to make a written contract once probation has ended is a breach of the written-form requirement in Article 4 and triggers the administrative fine in Article 26(a).
The Trainee Cap: 10% of the Staff
The second limit in the same article is numerical: the number of trainees may not exceed 10% of the contracted editorial staff.
| Contracted editorial staff | Maximum trainees |
|---|---|
| 10 people | 1 |
| 20 people | 2 |
| 30 people | 3 |
| 50 people | 5 |
The ratio is calculated over the contracted staff, so people without a contract do not enter the denominator. This directly limits the practice of growing a newsroom with trainees.
Publications carrying official announcements are additionally subject to a minimum intellectual worker staffing requirement, where both the number and the qualifications differ.
Bottom Line
The probation period is a maximum of three months and may be applied only to journalists entering the profession for the first time. During that period either party may terminate without notice or compensation. A written contract is mandatory at the end of the period. The number of trainees may not exceed 10% of the contracted editorial staff.