Representatives of the trade union sector were surprised yesterday by the suggestion of a voluntary wage adjustment by a business sector, agreeing that if there is good faith in the proposal, it should be made to twice the rate of inflation and be applied at a general level.
Rafael “Pepe” Abreupresident of the National Confederation of Trade Union Unity (CNUS), and James Ramospresident of the National Central of Dominican Workers (CNTD), approached separately on the proposal of the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), although they saw with surprise the “voluntary nature” of the business community, welcomed the initiative, not without first warning that it is necessary to land some terms in the meeting scheduled for Tuesday in the Ministry of Labor.
“We propose that the increase is not voluntary, but that it be endorsed by the parties in the Labor Consultative Council; that the amount is not the inflation index, but that it is at least double that index, and third, that it be inclusive of all wages, not only the minimum, but also those that are above the minimum ”, Rafael Abreu explained.
On his side, Jacobo Ramos, who greeted the good will of business and he clarified that the first one who spoke about studying a salary increase was the Minister of Labor and not the businessmen, he was hopeful that the proposal is really of good will and not of a political nature.
Can read: They believe the salary increase proposed by Conep should be proportional to inflation
“We are hoping that good sense takes over the businessmen and an increase is made that is around 20% or 25%, that is the proposal that we bring and that it be through the Salary Committee so that it generates the takeoff in wages,” said Ramos.
He stressed that he disagrees with only increasing based on accumulated inflation, because in order to achieve a real salary, as the president has said Louis Abinaderwe must go towards an increase above inflation, “so that we can get closer to the real salary that workers in the Dominican Republic should earn, which has a gap of more than 30% in the last 10 years.”
The call to the government
The president of the CNTD took the opportunity to urge the nation’s president, Luis Abinader, to also use this situation and produce an increase in salaries in the public sector because public employees and pensioners have also been affected and need a corresponding increase. with the inflation that occurs.
go through the committee
Both union leaders pointed out that in order for what is decided in the meeting at the Ministry of Labor to be legal, it must be known in the National Salary Committeesince under no circumstances can the salary be increased voluntarily, since the very resolution approved by the committee is violated by many employers.
