Once again, the National Salaries Committee (CNS) is meeting to discuss minimum wage increases. The CNS is made up by representatives of government, labor unions and employers and focuses on the private, non-sectorized sector.
The tri-party representatives met on 2 July 2019 at the Labor Ministry to resume discussions on the percentage increase for the minimum salary for the private sector. The impasse has been because of the employers’ stand that businesses need to be reclassified according to the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Law 187-17 before the setting of new minimum wage levels.
The labor unions had complained that the 12% increase proposed by the employers would only be equivalent to RD$61 per day. They have been asking for a 30% increase. This would bring the minimum wage from RD$15,400 a month at present toRD$20,081 in a large company. In a medium-sized company, the minimum wage would increase from RD$10,620 to RD$13,806 and in a small company from RD$9,401.60 to RD$12,235.08.
Rafael (Pepe) Abreu, spokesman for labor, complained that the country had 14 different levels of the minimum salary, depending on the sector, at a time when the basic family basket costs a little more than RD$31,000 a month.
A next meeting has been convened for Thursday, 18 July 2019 to continue the talks. Following the 2 July meeting, Abreu said that the labor sector would accept a retroactive 25% increase, but no reclassifying of the companies.
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Listin Diario
Diario Libre
3 July 2019