The heavy machine operators in the Dominican Republic under the umbrella of the National Union of Heavy Machine Operators, reported yesterday afternoon that they have submitted a proposal to the National Salary Committee to revise the wage scale established in September 2015 for equipment operators and their assistants in the farm sector.
Juan Balbi, the secretary-general of the union, said that the sector is demanding a 30% wage increase. According to Balbi the new wage demands are exclusively for mechanized farm work.
The labor leader said that at the current time that the base salary for heavy machine operators (tractors and other equipment) is about RD $7,000 and he expects that the new wage level should be close to RD$12,500.
Balbi also mentioned that several government institutions such as the Dominican Agrarian Institute (IAD), the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources (INDRHI) and even the Ministry of Agriculture owe operators more than RD$20 million for work carried out to eliminate the whitefly.
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Diario Libre
29 June 2017
