President Leonel Fernández is of opinion that Dominican labor laws should be respected in regards to the hiring of Haitians. The Dominican Labor Code establishes that the work force of any company should be 80% Dominican, and a maximum 20% foreign. In the case of many construction projects, including many large government projects, the reverse is true. President Fernández’s opinion comes after Minister of Public Works Diandino Peña said that Haitian workers were essential for the completion of large government construction works. The Dominican government is probably the principal employer of Haitian construction workers. In Hoy newspaper, Rafael Ulises Alcántara, secretary general of the Sindicato de Obras Viales Calificados, says Dominican construction jobs are down 90%. He said that contractors are only interested in savings when they hire the cheaper Haitian labor, forgetting that the hiring of this unskilled workforce may affect the quality of the construction.
