Rafael Duluc defends labor code reform; calls on business owners not to be "extremists"

Santo Domingo.– The senator from the province of La Altagracia, Rafael Duluc (Cholitín), defended this Friday the modification project to the Labor Code approved in first reading in the Senate, after the criticisms issued by the main business associations of the country.

Duluc acknowledged the business sector's right to express its observations and recalled that the legislative process has not concluded, so there is still room for improvement. "We are still in the process. This is not finished. Precisely because of this, the Constitution establishes two consecutive readings, and it is in that second stage that articles can be removed, corrected, or added to the project," he explained.

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In that sense, the legislator pointed out that aspects requiring adjustments have already been identified, such as the exclusion of companies in free trade zones from the bonus scheme. "That was an omission, perhaps without ill intention, but it must be corrected. Just like that point, there are others we can improve." However, Duluc considered that the reaction of the business community has been disproportionate. "They have been a bit unfair, very extremist and radical in their criticisms, when in reality 90% of what was approved is the product of the consensus achieved after years of tripartite dialogue," he assured. The senator highlighted that the project introduces important advances, such as the inclusion of workplace harassment, a figure that was not part of the original text, but was incorporated by the senatorial commission. He also mentioned the elimination of the conciliator judge, a figure that jurists considered unnecessary because they understood that it could hinder the processes. "To avoid being radical in my opinion as well, I would say that 99% of what this project contains are benefits for both workers and employers. Even for the very entrepreneurs who criticize it today, there are advantages superior to the current code," he concluded. Duluc's pronouncement comes in response to the business sector's statement, which described the reform as a setback and warned that the new provisions could increase labor costs, discourage formal employment, and generate legal uncertainty.