The way the workers are paid when dismissed in the DR, even you would like to get fired once every 6 months here...
Love it PICHARDO - how true! I have often been envious of the "liquidation" system. Coming from the UK where more and more people are being made redundant with pretty poor compensation in a lot of cases, for once, the DR has got it right!
:cheeky:
Rio
Yeah (and I understand both poster's point), but the resort staff does in most cases not get severance pay.
In most cases, they have a different agreement signed at time of being contracted (and I would suspect many may not have understood what they signed) and the big name resorts may also have a different standing before labor court than other businesses, as they are a substantial part of the country's economy and have powerful "partners".
Some of these chain operated outfits indeed have almost "cart blanche" as to how they can hire and fire staff. They can fire people on the spot on the least suspicion of theft or other inadequate behavior like compulsive laziness, even holding back the last outstanding pay.
This may seem unjust (and in legal terms it most likely is) but with the local labor law and the general
tigueraje these operations could probably not function otherwise.
It all boils down to what already many have posted here, that being a resort worker includes being conscious that it can be a seasonal source of income to both the outfit and the staff.
Some operators have or are obviously grossly abusing their privileges and powers... like just recently one close to Rio San Juan, which allegedly not only laid off most of it's staff because of what they argue to be a seasonal slowdown but also still owes pay to many of the laid off... The unofficial message allegedly being that "... if you ever want to work here or in a other place like this again, better let it go!".
It's so bad, resort worker do not want to apply for work there.
Then, as Rocky pointed out, it's not untypical for resort workers to tend to whine on their new found
gringo amigos' shoulders. Sometimes it is a calculated pantomime in order to create sympathy and maybe get financial "help". But our local friends also seem to have an interesting mix of fatalism and on the other hand an inherent inability to accept to "see the numbers on the wall". And most will never consider to accept to any fact pointing to their previous knowledge or acceptance of what later tuns out to be their their hardship "
... si, me lo dijeron pero lo que yo pensaba era que..." or "
... si, esta en el contrato pero yo no lo lei entonce como iba yo saber que..."
What I DO find very unfair, besides obvious abuses, is that many of these very hard working resort workers... room and restaurant staff especially, not only are being inadequately paid but at the same time subjected to hours and random shifts which puts some of them at almost 24/7 disposition of their "employer" without any monetary compensation for these exceptional working hours. If they don't like it, they are history.
On the other hand, many which work well and have learned to make intelligent use of our locals ability to smile genuinely, can make close to the equivalent of their salary or more in tips. Certainly, those who work behind the scenes, don't have that edge and some hotels try to have front line workers share their tips with the rest of the staff... some even strip search them on the way out... but many can prove very imaginative in order to "smuggle" out their
qualtos.
... J-D.