Firing our housekeeper

Our housekeeper has worked in the house for years and stayed in it for a year before we bought it living in it and taking care of it for the out of town owners.

She has been employed with us since Oct 2012 when we bought our house where she looked after it when we were still in Canada. Since we arrived in the DR 6 weeks ago she has been working 5 hours a day 3 times a week and we pay her 900 pesos a week. My question is how much do we have to pay her compensation?

The reasons we want to let her go are:

1) We don't trust her at all. We just painted our Fence and I asked her where the rest of the paint was and she said it was all used up. The next day she comes to our house with the same color paint on her face.

2) She is a horrible cleaner and lazy, has ruined hundreds of dollars of my wife's clothing.

3) Since she lived in our house, she treats it like her own and lets her kids or whoever come over even though we have told her NO OTHER PEOPLE on our property.

4) I hate having people in our house.

5) Is very nosy in our financial business and who we get to fix / build things in the house. She insists on people to do the work that are not professionals but says they are and we know she obviously gets a cut.

The problem is her husband is our gardener, pool cleaner and maintenance guy who is a really hard worker, sweet guy and we love him. We don't want to get rid of him! I used to do this stuff around my house in Canada but here I am pathetic at doing house stuff, it's all so foreign!!

So I'm also asking is it possible to ditch the Housekeeper but keep her husband on without them being annoyed about it? Do people here generally take it personally if they get let go??!!


Please HELP Dr1er's!!!!
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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Fire HER!
Get a young, beautiful,sexy new maid.
The gardener will show up early, and keep his wife in check.
She should get 1/12th. months pay for each month she has worked for you.
I say give her 4,000 pesos, get her to sign a receipt for the money, and change all your locks.
If she goes to the labor board, she may, or may not,be awarded more severance. In any case, you can pay the difference, if only a few thousand more, or go to the board, with your bill-of-sale, and the receipt she signed when she accepted the money.
Give her husband 1,000 more a month, and he won't care that you fire his wife.
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Floridaborn

New member
Sep 25, 2010
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Not sure if you have to for a domestic worker - but if your choose to liquidate her - I believe it is a month's pay per year of employment.
 

bronzeallspice

Live everyday like it's your last
Mar 26, 2012
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You have good reasons to get rid of your housekeeper.If her husband complains
get rid of him too,you can find yourselves another gardener/handyman.
 

Criss Colon

Platinum
Jan 2, 2002
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You DO!
And Sicial Security is not far behind.
Not that the government ever intends to pay her a SS benefit, they just want to use the billions collected as their personal "Slush Fund"
When the time to pa up finally arrives, they will just "No Fui Yo", and blame the previous government.
"Same 'Ol, Same 'Ol, in "Paradise"!
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dv8

Gold
Sep 27, 2006
31,266
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the lest stressful way:
go to secretaria de trabajo in POP
ask them to calculate the liquidation including holiday pay, christmas pay and whatever else
have them print out the calculations
make several copies
give her the paperwork and liquidation as counted, have her sign a copy and keep that signed copy
change all the locks inside the house, including padlocks

as a domestic worker she is not supposed to receive liquidation but it is better to pay up or she'll give you a major headache.
 

Winkeladvocat

Member
Oct 14, 2012
32
10
8
FIRE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But first go to the Ministerio de Trabajo, tell them how much she had been earning each month and since when she had been employed by you. They will ask about whether she took vacation and about Christmas salary, etc. . Have all the data prepared and usually they are very helpful there. They give u a print out and with that you will have an idea of how much you will have to pay. If u decide to give her an advance notice u don t have to pay the pre-aviso. Possibility: Tell her how thankful you are of her great service, that you will halt her temporarily, for whatever reason, leaving a possibility she may come back but as for now you pay her her well-earned "prestaciones". She will bitch around and will want more money, she will talk about how long she s been working in that house (before you bought - not your problem). Dont worry . Give her what she s entitled to and not a penny more and make her sign a receipt (!)
 

CoreyH

New member
Mar 5, 2010
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Depending on where you live, I can recommend an excellent, honest, hard-working maid. We are moving back to the States and she'll be looking for work. We've employed her for 2.5 years and trust her completely. She does an awesome job of everything; excellent cook, cleaner, no problems with laundry. In 2.5 years I've only lost one shirt. p.m. me if you're interested.
 

NotLurking

Bronze
Jul 21, 2003
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Sto Dgo Este
Fire her under whatever pretext you want but don't let her continue working in your home another minute. You may pay her liquidation or not, that is up to you, just FIRE her! Get it done NOW! Legally domestic help are not entitled to liquidation, besides their normal pay for the time worked up to the date of dismissal, they are entitled to vacation pay and Christmas bonus of 1/12 the yearly salary paid to them within 10 days of termination.

Don't let her get wind that you'll be firing her, thing might get awkward or out of hand. Just DO IT, FIRE her, you'll be glad you did it. If you give her anything of value as part of her dismissal have her sign for it.

Let me give you one more small piece of advice: DON'T hire a new maid ASAP! Wait a few days and enjoy your new found privacy. You and your wife can plan, shop and cook/prepare meals together while enjoying each other. Life is good!

NotLurking
 

CG

Bronze
Sep 16, 2004
984
146
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Listen and follow post 11 suggestions - you will have less of a headache for sure.

She needs to sign the paperwork from the labor office when she collects her pay !!!!

Good Luck
 

malko

Campesino !! :)
Jan 12, 2013
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Hi, I live in the campo and when I, well actually my dominican wife, fired the maid, all she actually did was like fuera maldata ladrona!! And that was the end of that, no salary, no nothing. I see here fom time to time at the local colmado and there is no hard feelings only a saludo!!
 

CFA123

Silver
May 29, 2004
3,512
413
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CC,
She's domestic part time, are you sure he technically owes anything? Much less, social security?
Personally, I would pay her something above fair anyhow to get her out on good terms.
 

webgurutoo

New member
Mar 2, 2013
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I think we have the firing part handled in other replies. The next question is where how do you find a decent replacement once you throw her out?
 
OK thank you all for your replies, it makes me feel better about our decision! We are getting new locks put on today and tomorrow and then Wed will be "THE DAY"
We aren't gonna hire another Maid, our place isn't huge, it's just the 2 of us, we are youngish and don't work so I'm hoping I didn't get too used to not doing anything! I like my privacy too!