Through three resolutions disclosed yesterday, the Government formalized the domestic work in the Dominican Republic, for which a minimum salary of 10,000 pesos has been defined and its inclusion in the social Security under the Subsidized Contributory Regime, which has been well received by the sector.
However, it is still pending to specify the concern that has arisen among the people about what the payment will be like for those who work by the day or by the hour, a definition that must be established in another resolution, according to what was explained by Ruth Díaz, president of the National Federation of Working Women (Fenamutra), which participated in the discussions.
“Today (yesterday) a path begins in which not everything has been resolved nor has it been what it should have been. However, we had to start with something. We already have where to discuss salaries and where to discuss social SecurityDiaz told Free Journal.
For decades, the demand to regulate the domestic work in the country, which at the end of the second quarter of this year, generated 236,797 jobs, mostly covered by women, according to statistics from the Central Bank.
The proposal of the unions that demanded the formalization started from 14,200 pesos as the minimum wage for full service without sleep and 16,200 pesos with sleep, for households with fewer assets. However, what was resolved by the National Salary Committee has been 10,000 pesos as the national minimum salary, to be paid in cash or another agreed method. Also, sign an employment contract that must be sent to the Ministry of Labor.
Until last year, the average salary received by a domestic worker was 8,415 pesos per month. Resolution 11-2022 of the National Salary Committee, which sets the minimum wage, will enter into force three months after its publication.
mode per day
The Ministry of Labor has indicated that establishing a minimum wage rate allows regularizing the average daily wage, which will benefit those who work piecework or per day.
The representation of the domestic service that participated in the discussions had brought to the dialogue table that an employee who works one day a week receive a monthly base salary of 3,500 pesos, for two days 5,500 pesos, three 7,500 and for four 9,500.
For a nanny, 4,000 pesos a month for one day, 6,000 for two, 8,000 for three, and 10,000 for four. If you were a domestic and nanny at the same time, 4,500 for one day, 6,500 for two, 8,500 for three and 10,500 for four.
Díaz cited as an example that the construction sector has a minimum wage. “However -he said-, it has tariff differentiation for the job it performs; a varillero does not earn the same as the one who lays the floors… Many times they are paid by the hour, many times they are paid by the day or many times they are paid for finished work”.
“This – she added – was not done at this time for the domestic workers sector because it really is a pilot plan – as we have called it – that creates a precedent never done before. We would have wanted everything to come in, however, we are also aware that, if we had nothing, right now there is everything: there is a contract, there is salary and there is social Security”.
He announced that, as agreed, there will be a permanent session to continue with the pending issues and ensure compliance with the resolutions that formalize the official letter.
“The fundamental purpose of this resolution is to put into practice Convention 189 of the International Labor Organization on decent work for women workers and for domestic workers”Resolution 14-2022
Yesterday, the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader, described the formalization of the domestic work. During the act in which the resolutions that provide it were announced, he indicated that these employees were at a disadvantage compared to other labor sectors.
The Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps, said that the road to reach an agreement was long: the formalization of the sector took 76 years.
Resolution 551-08, issued by the National Social Security Council, approves the creation of a Pilot Plan to include domestic workers in the Dominican Social Security System. For this, the employer will contribute 571.50 pesos, the State 259.43 and the worker 28.50 pesos. The document gives a period of 90 days for the superintendencies of Health and Occupational Risks, the Superintendence of Pensions and the Treasury of the Social Security, to prepare the complementary regulations necessary for the implementation of the plan. According to statistics from the Central Bank, 222,545 jobs in domestic service were not covered by social security in the second quarter of 2022.
