Ministry of Labor announced that as per Law 139-97 of 19 June 1997, the national holiday of 1 May, International Labor Day, will be celebrated on Monday, 4 May. International Labor Day falls on a Friday. But employees in the Dominican Republic, with an exception of those that by the nature of their work are exempt (such as hotel employees, airport employees, etc.) will get Monday, 4 May off, instead of Friday, 1 May. Nevertheless, it is expected that many will be given permission to take off Friday, converting the holiday into one long weekend. The Ministry of Labor said that companies that have not been exempted by the nature of their work, and that choose to labor on Monday, 4 May, need to pay their workers 100% more than the normal wages.
