“Sexual orientation” does not reduce the efficiency of labor reform
The president of the National Confederation of Trade Union Unity (CNUS), Rafael Pepe Abreu , stated this Monday that the modification to article three of the Labor Code, which incorporates the term " sexual orientation " as a reason for discrimination in the workplace, " does not reduce the effectiveness or efficiency" of the legislative piece.
Amid criticism from conservative sectors of the Senate's decision to include the term, the union leader explained that it is an update consistent with international trends in labor matters.
"We respect the views of one legislator or another, but ultimately we say that this in no way diminishes effectiveness, efficiency , or has any orientation that implies deviations," he stated.
Abreu maintained that organizations like the International Labor Organization (ILO) accept and promote these types of modifications, so "it does not mean anything that would detract from the approval of the code."
The union leader also rejected initiatives promoted by the business sector , such as splitting severance pay into a three-month period or extending the probationary period from three to six months for certain positions.
The statements were made after a meeting between the main trade unions —the National Confederation of Dominican Workers (CNTD), the Autonomous Confederation of Class-Based Trade Unions (CASC), and the CNUS—with the president of the Senate , Ricardo de los Santos .
Also participating in the meeting were leaders Jacobo Ramos, José Luis León, Santos Sánchez, Gabriel del Río, Eulogia Familia, and Amauris Abreu.
Following the meeting, the members of the negotiating committee announced the suspension of the vigil in front of the National Congress and the peaceful march in San Pedro de Macorís, scheduled for next Wednesday the 10th. "In light of the call made to us by the President of the Senate, and in light of the guarantee that workers' rights would not be affected, especially unemployment, in any of its forms, we are obliged to, from here, inform all members of our confederations that the Wednesday vigil is cancelled and that we hope that the process of this draft bill in the Senate Chamber will be definitively exhausted," Abreu announced.
During the meeting, held in the office of the Senate President , De los Santos guaranteed that the severance pay would not be modified in any of its versions, as had been proposed in the draft reform of the Labor Code .
The legislator assured that Congress is open to dialogue with business leaders to reach an agreement that benefits the working class .
"Today we have the labor sector here, and we are ready to welcome the business sector , because what we seek is precisely labor peace in the Dominican Republic and the preservation of workers' rights. We are seeking to build the greatest possible consensus on the Labor Code," he said.
De los Santos added that the National Congress is willing to listen to all sectors involved in the reform and stressed the importance of sharing the different positions to enrich the debate on the legislative piece.
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