Unions walk: won’t compromise workers benefits

Santo Domingo.- The leaders of the labor unions on Thur. walked out of the talks with management that sought to amend the Dominican Labor Code, reiterating that “from the employer’s side there is a clear intent to affect employees,’ by seeking to eliminate the severance pay.

“It’s an absurd pretense,” said National Unions Federation (CNUS) president Rafael (Pepe) Abreu.

“What we have said is that if the severance pay is lost, it will never be recovered,” Abreu warned, affirming that the employers grouped in Copardom as well as in the National Business Council (Conep) are behind that push.

He listed the three issues that the unions won’t compromise; the right to unemployment, the contractual rights of workers and what refers to the workday.

“Since the business leaders and the Government are aware that these aspects are discarded from the discussion, they tried to introduce it through another bill submitted to Congress.”