The formalization of domestic work only has 454 workers registered with the Social Security Treasury (TSS), 417 women (91.85%) and 37 men (8.15%), and of these, 450 are of Dominican nationality and only four are Haitian.
Central Bank statistics reveal that at the end of 2022, the employed population dedicated to domestic service totaled 230,158 peopleTherefore, the number of formalized workers represents 0.19% of the total.
According to TSS records, of the total number of registered workers, only 264 have completed their contractsremaining to complete those of 191 people.
In the salary scales presented by the workers enrolled in the TSS, it can be seen that: 49 receive less than RD0,000; 284 earn between RD0,000 and RD$20,000; some 26 earn more than RD$20,000; and 95 have unidentified salaries.
Another relevant piece of information that the TSS offers us is that of the 454 formalized domestic workers, 66.74% (303) are between 31 and 55 years old, 18.28% (83) are over 55 years old and 14.98% (68) are between 18 and 30 years.
Likewise, the trades carried out by these workers are: Domestic cleaners or assistants (303 people)Child caretakers (94), Unidentified (95), Butlers (19), Car drivers (10), Protection personnel (9), Animal caretakers (6) and Gardening and horticulture laborers (6)
According to the data presented by the TSS on its web portal, the provinces where these domestic service employees have been registered are: Santo Domingo (86), Santiago (59), National District (35), San Cristobal (32) Puerto Plata (13)Espaillat (12), San Pedro de Macorís (9), La Altagracia (6), La Romana (6), Monte Plata (6), Duarte (6), Samaná (5), Azua (5), Peravia (5 ), Valverde (4), María Trinidad Sánchez (3), Sánchez Ramírez (3), Monte Cristi (2), Hermanas Mirabl (2), Dajabón (2), Elías Piña (1), and Monsignor Nouel (1).
No faith in the record
The National Federation of Working Women (Fenamutra) stated that the domestic work formalization process has not flowed as expected due to variations in the effective date and due to the lack of faith of employers in this registry.
“From Fenamutra we understand that the process has not flowed anymore because the dates that were published for the entry into force have changed and possibly some do not have faith in the record”, indicated the president of the organization, Ruth Díaz.
He stated that despite this reality “we must bet that all of us responsibly take care of those who take care of us, that is the motto of Fenamutra, and Caring means formalizing employment, and thereby giving a better quality of life to those who work in this trade”.
Díaz explained to Listín Diario that it also seems to them that the promotion of the benefits and effective knowledge of the mode of access should be a constant campaign by the authorities to raise awareness among the population in a general sense.
difficult process
The former Vice President of the Republic and expert on labor issues, Rafael Alburquerque, stated that It will always be difficult to formalize domestic service because it is not a company.
“It is a home and the address is inviolable by constitutional mandate, which makes the inspector’s job difficult,” Alburquerque said.
He said, however, It is important to start, move forward, even slowly, and in this way try to offer social protection to these workers, until today relegated to second-class wage earners.
Courageous initiative.
The regularization of domestic work has been a courageous action by the administration of President Luis Abinader that honors the commitment that, as a country, was assumed in 2013 when agreement 189 with the International Labor Organization (ILO) was ratified.
The formalization represents the opportunity to improve the situation of rights of these workers, many of them vulnerable to various types of exploitation.
