2007 – Page 270

Although employers have raised their offer from a 9.30% increase for minimum wage earners to a 12% increase, talks are stalled for now. Yesterday’s long and drawn out negotiating session between labor union leaders and employers’ representatives was chaired by Monsignor Agripino Nunez Collado who served as moderator and mediator. The Minister of Labor and …

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Journalist Desiree Martinez has analyzed the current status of some professionals and found that holding several jobs at once is a common way of making ends meet. According to the reporter, the decrease in the Dominican peso’s purchasing power and the increases in the typical household’s expenses have practically forced people to seek second and …

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The Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, Radhames Jimenez Pena, has confirmed that he instructed the District Attorney of Santo Domingo province to investigate the transport unions that promoted the strike that resulted in the firebombing of a bus and injuries to seven women. According to Hoy, Jimenez said, “responsibilities will be established and the …

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The Dominican Telecommunications Institute (INDOTEL) has authorized the sale of Centennial, formerly All America Cable & Radio, Inc., Dominican Republic, to Trilogy Dominican Republic, LLC. The operation is expected to increase competition between phone and wireless service providers. Recently, America Movil, a Mexican company, purchased Verizon Dominicana. The resolution authorizing the transaction allows for a …

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The “marchantas” are one of the most familiar sights in the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. In fact, when the city hosted the XV Central American and Caribbean Games in 1986, the marchanta was used as the symbol for the event. Marchantas are the women who arrive from the countryside, usually on donkeys or …

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The company that operates the ferries from Mayaguez, Puerto Rico to Santo Domingo has rejected President Fernandez’s announcement that San Pedro de Macoris would be the new homeport for the service. Juan Ortega Martinez, the president of Ferries del Caribe, told reporters from Hoy that the company has spent over two years negotiating for permits …

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The unhappy news that automobile insurance is up by 30% is the result of the changes brought about by the government’s latest “tax correction”. The change of the tax on insurance from VAT to Selective Consumer Tax has forced insurers to increase their premiums by this amount. One cause is that Selective Consumer Taxes cannot …

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One of two men who stole a motorcycle from a ‘motoconcho’ driver was killed yesterday as an angry mob attacked them both with sticks, stones and gunfire in the community of Loma Mala in Maimon. The police have confirmed, according to Hoy, that the two men had taken the motorcycle at gunpoint, but the other …

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The DR is preparing for a Summit on Drugs, Security, and Cooperation, which will be held on 16 March 2007 at the Ministry of Foreign Relations. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Haiti President Rene Preval, Prime Ministers from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Vincent and Grenada will be attending, together with representatives from the United States, …

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Economic Planning and Development Minister Temistocles Montas is in Mexico with a technical team to hold discussions with experts from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) about the implementation of a long-term development strategy for the DR. The delegation will be discussing the book “Economic and Social Development Dominican Republic 2030,” …

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