After technical staff of the Santo Domingo Metro protested in January 2023 and threatened to strike demanding labor benefits and better working conditions, the Metro administration began to train new staff.
Back in January the strike was averted when the Metro directors reached an agreement. The operators, nevertheless, say the agreement was not fulfilled and this Monday and Tuesday, 70 of these went on strike. The Metro operated with what seemed as normalcy, as the newly trained operators took to the task.
The Metro fired Luis Miguel Peña Custodio, one of the most outspoken of the protestors, and 16 others.
Diario Libre reports on the risk of replacing the highly-trained staff. The newspaper says these received training in 2008 from Metro Madrid in Madrid. A source said several of these were later hired to work in the Panama Metro where they are paid better. Diario Libre says the staff that received three months of training is not up to par, nor can compare to staff with 15 years of experience. The wages of the Metro operators started at RD$25,000 a month and now are at RD$37,800.
Diario Libre reports that among the complaints are the delays in promoting the employees and wage increases; bad conditions of the bathrooms, long working hours, lack of payment of extra for night time hours, and poor conditions of the lunch facilities. The employees have also protested that employees with political connections are promoted over those that should advance on merit.
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Diario Libre
22 June 2023