On Monday 22 April 2019, workers of the government-owned Punta Catalina power plant reached an agreement to go back to work. As per the agreement, they would be paid a full month extra salary this April. The workers were demanding the payment of the yearly bonus.
As reported in El Dia, the labor crisis did not impede that the first unit of the thermoelectric coal-fired power plant stay on the electricity grid. As reported, the power plant is adding 230 megawatts to the national electricity system (SENI) in its test phase.
The representatives of the workers had rejected a first agreement that had called for a months salary to be paid 50% at the end of April and 50% at the end of May. The workers also demand that 7,000 former workers benefit with the payment.
The discussions between members of the Union of Workers of the Construction Branch of the Punta Catalina Plant (Sintrapunca) and the Odebrecht-Technimont-Estrella consortium were mediated by Labor Minister Winston de los Santos.
By law, companies are required to pay 10% of profits to workers as yearly bonus. The conflict arose after Punta Catalina argued it had more than RD$8.7 billion in losses and would not be paying the bonus.
Labor negotiator Rafael “Pepe” Abréu had told Noticias SIN that the agreement signed on Sunday, 21 April would benefit 2,000 active employees. He said that the union would continue talks with the company under the mediation of the Ministry of Labor to resolve the situation of 4,000 workers that no longer work for the company, but he understands they are due the bonus corresponding to last year. He estimated the total in around US$5 million.
When the workers discovered last week that the company had declared losses and would not pay bonuses, workers demonstrated on 17 April 2019 and refused to return to work, which led to chaos and the intervention of the police.
Meanwhile the military continue to guarding the plant and the surrounding areas. The impasse affected traffic on the Azua to Santo Domingo highway.
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El Dia
23 April 2019