Employers and workers must negotiate the costs of internet, energy, and equipment for remote work

The new Labor Code recently read and approved by the Senate of the Republic, establishes remote work, or telecommuting, as a form of work, which represents progress in labor matters by recognizing this figure in the legal framework that will regulate labor activities in the country.

However, one of the questions on this topic is who should bear the costs of internet or data, electricity, use of equipment and applications necessary to perform the work. So far, what the new Labor Code proposes is that both employers and workers reach an agreement on who and how these costs are assumed. Laura Peña Izquierdo, president of the Board of Directors of the Employers' Confederation of the Dominican Republic (Copardom), indicated that what was agreed for the new code is that the costs associated with remote work are at the discretion of workers and employers, since the dynamics and needs of each company are different, although she did not rule out possible modifications or resolutions to complement that part, since the use of technologies changes very quickly. "So far, what was identified was that the parties agree on the issue of what would be the cost to be assumed within what remote work implies, that is, that is already at the discretion of the employer together with the worker to agree," explained Peña Izquierdo. Regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence, entrepreneurs view the use of these tools favorably in carrying out activities and tasks, as they understand this is improving the productivity of workers and companies. "It will help identify behavioral patterns in the market, which will help many industries be much more effective in identifying products to introduce to the market. In the area of services, we have to use it in a positive way; it has helped improve productivity," declared the businesswoman. These statements were offered within the framework of the 20th American Regional Meeting (ARM 2025) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which is being held from October 1 to 3 in Punta Cana. The event is attended by ministers and high-ranking representatives from 24 countries in the Americas.