Dominican Republic businesses waylay 200 labor unions

Santo Domingo.- DominicanRepublic´s business sector has eliminated around 200 workers organizations, collectivebargaining committees in the last 10 years, Rafael-Pepe-Abreu, president of thelabor unions grouped in CNUS revealed Tuesday.

He said managementhas committed the actions via layoffs, firings, transfers, forced resignationsor isolation of workers who’ve sought to form a union.

Abreu said the practicesare more common in hotels, free zone companies, manufacturing, suppliers and retail,among others.

He said markedinterests between capital and labor jeopardize the unions, which even despite progressaround the world in that aspect, is reflected in the major rift between the twosectors. "A business leader may be the most democratic person in the worldand even touts it, but if you tell him to allow their workers to form a union,that´s where democracy ends."

Nonetheless Abreuacknowledged having accomplished the traditional collective agreements, butnoted that it´s not the same as a union and cited the cases of food processing companies,sugar mills, soft drink makers among others.