In ceremonies at the National Palace celebrating the DR’s 75th year as a member of the Geneva-based International Labor Organization (ILO), the United Nations body responsible for labor and work safety issues, President Fern?ndez issued three labor decrees and formally dispatched an ILO Convention to the Congress for ratification. With representatives from the ILO, employers’ and workers’ groups and top cabinet members watching on, the President signed the three decrees and the letter transmitting the Convention to Congress. Decree 74-99 creates a national Labor Consultative Council to advise the Labor Ministry on all labor relations matters. Decree 75-99 expands the application of the Civil Service Law to include the Technical Secretariat of the Presidency, the Labor Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, and the Attorney-General’s Office. Previously the Law covered just the Finance Ministry and its dependencies. The Law is intended. to build a professional civil service based on merit rather than political connections. Decree 76-99 alters the insurance premiums which must be paid to cover different types of risks of workplace accidents. The Convention, No. 138 on a Minimum Age for Employment, calls on ratifying states to set a minimum age for work no lower than 15 years of age and then progressively raise it. Under certain conditions, including regular reporting/justification to the ILO, a developing nation may adopt a minimum age of 14 years old. The Convention was originally open for signature in 1973; currently is ratified by 71 countries, including 14 Latin American and Caribbean states [notable for their continued absence: Brazil, Colombia and Mexico]. Ratification and application of the Convention are two steps envisioned in the ILO’s technical assistance program for the DR to eliminate child labor.
