Dominican Republic labor inspections reveal widespread violations

The Dominican Republic’s Ministry of Labor has identified extensive labor rights violations following inspections of 101 commercial establishments owned by Chinese investors. During eight days of operations in Santo Domingo, the National District, San Pedro de Macorís, and Higüey, inspectors issued 1,016 citations.

Key findings include 91 companies terminating employees before the three-month mark to avoid paying vacation and severance benefits. Additionally, 53 businesses failed to provide weekly rest, 52 did not pay bonuses, and 37 failed to pay overtime. The inspections also revealed that 33 establishments violated labor code regulations regarding the nationalization of work, which governs the ratio of domestic to foreign employees.

Due to imminent threats to worker safety and integrity, authorities ordered the suspension of operations at 24 companies.