Ministry of Labor to issue resolution for domestic workers to have hours, minimum wage, vacations and other benefits

It seeks to improve labor relations through a contract and set the time of the working day, wages, vacations, and protection through the Dominican Social Security System for workers.

Santo Domingo, DR
The Minister of Labor, Luis Miguel De Camps García, announced that a resolution to formalize domestic work would be submitted for public consultation.

This initiative seeks to improve labor relations through a contract and fix the length of the working day, wages, vacations, and protection through the Dominican Social Security System for workers in this historically forgotten sector, says a statement from the institution.

“We have been working for months on this provision so that the domestic sector, composed mostly of women, can count on the guarantee of their fundamental rights, enshrined in the Constitution and in line with the mandate of Convention 189 of the International Labor Organization (ILO),” said De Camps.

The draft resolution establishes that the domestic workday may not exceed eight hours a day, nor more than 44 hours a week, with an obligatory rest period of no less than nine hours between each day.

As for the salary, this may not be less than the minimum salary dictated by the National Wage Committee for this sector. In addition, articles 177 to 191 of the Labor Code will be applicable concerning vacations. According to the scale established in these articles, the more years of employment, the more vacation rights the worker will have.

This resolution indicates that the employer must ensure that domestic workers enjoy decent working and living conditions under respect for their privacy and integrity; therefore, they deserve adequate protection against all forms of abuse, harassment, and violence.

Similarly, in terms of benefits, the draft resolution establishes that domestic workers are entitled to payment of notice, which will be accessed according to the rules specified in the Labor Code and other types of workers.

The resolution also provides that the National Social Security Council establishes the mechanism for domestic workers to be registered with social security.
With this proposed resolution, the Ministry of Labor invites public consultation for 25 days to discuss the whole society on the proposal for resolution regarding the employment contract of domestic workers through the mail consultapublica@mt.gob.do.

According to data from the Central Bank in its National Continuous Labor Force Survey (ENCFT) for September 2021, the number of women in domestic work amounted to 239,022, while males to 20,216, for a total of 259,239 workers approximately.