Dominican Vice President Meets with Labor Leaders on International Day for Decent Work

On Tuesday Dominican Vice President Rafael Alburquerque received a commission of labor leaders from the country´s three main unions in his office at the National Palace in honor of International Day for Decent Work.

The Vice President, who thanked the commission members for their visit, made a commitment to meet with the central syndicates to continue the struggle for organized labor,

Alburquerque took a document from the trade unionists and promised to join their struggle in “which the government is committed to promote decent work in our country,” said Gabriel del Río Doñé, Secretary General of the Autonomous Confederation of the Classist Syndicate (CASC), according to the press release from the Presidential Office of Information, Press and Publicity.

The Vice President, who thanked the commission members for their visit, made a commitment to meet with the central syndicates to continue the struggle for organized labor, collective bargaining as well as freedom to seek their fundamental rights as workers including equality and no discrimination in the workplace in which he was referring to discrimination against women.

He reminded his guests that the Dominican Republic as a country ratified 8 fundamental agreements of the Organization of Workers (OIT) and made a declaration on the principles and fundamental rights of workers. In 1992, he added, the Workers Code was adopted which recognizes the basic and essential rights of workers.

“Trade union freedom, collective bargaining, non-discrimination in the workplace, the prohibition of child labor and the eradication of dangerous jobs for underage workers…” said the Minister. “We have the tools to cooperate with the workers organizations in this permanent struggle to enforce respect for fundamental workers rights.”

During the meeting, VP Alburquerque once again reiterated his opposition to the approval of a draft law concerning First Employment which is now moving through the Senate and was already approved in the Chamber of Deputies.

Trade unionist Gabriel del Río Doñé said that decent work, in addition to stimulating trade union freedom, promotes equality in the workplace among men and women and assures that children do not work but rather go to school.

He said that currently there is a problem in that employers have not been increasing workers´ wages.

Also at the meeting was Rafael Abreu, President of the National Confederation of United Syndicate (CNUS), and leaders of the National Confederation of Dominican Workers (CNTD).