Dominican Republic: 24-percent Increase in the Minimum Wage for Construction Workers

Author: Amado Sánchez de Camps

President Luis Abinader and the Minister of Labour, Luis Miguel De Camps, announced on 18 April an increase of 24% in the minimum wage for construction workers, of which 21 % began to be applied on 1 May, and an additional 3% in October.

The decision results from a consensus between workers, employers, and the government. It will affect plumbers, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, painters, masons and construction workers.

The government views each of the above trades as an individual sector. With these, there are seven beneficiaries of the minimum wage increases achieved with the mediation of the President.

Pedro Julio Alcántara, the representative of the construction workers, explained that the lowest wage, earned by unskilled workers for an eight-hour day, will go from 700 to 900 Dominican pesos (approximately US$13-17), and a bricklayer, in the lowest category, will go from 1,300 to 1,600 Dominican pesos (about US$24-30).

Pedro Brache, president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep), celebrated the decision and considered it a substantial increase. “However, the most important thing is that we have worked together and reached an agreement”, said the businessman.