Opposition PLD Warns of Job Insecurity and Rising Food Costs Eroding Family Living Standards
The PLD accuses the government of leaving workers unprotected as prices climb, and warns, according to the party, about the future of pensions.
Key points
- The cost of the family basket exceeds RD$48,000 per month, according to the PLD.
- The lowest minimum wage stands at RD$29,988, according to the party.
- More than one million workers will not retire adequately, according to the PLD.
- The party says the government refuses to apply wage indexation; the last one was in 2017.
The Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) said the country is living in an atmosphere of uncertainty due to poor labor conditions and rising food prices, which, according to the organization, are eroding families' living standards. At its Monday press conference, the party held the current government directly responsible for leaving workers unprotected against inflation.
Among the figures it cited, the PLD said the cost of the family basket exceeds RD$48,000 per month, which in its view reduces purchasing power compared with five years ago. Elso Segura Martínez, the party's secretary for labor affairs, said the average national income, formal and informal, is around RD$28,000, and that the lowest minimum wage stands at RD$29,988.
Segura Martínez explained that in the formal sector the average income is RD$35,831, a figure that also falls short of the basic basket. He added that more than 54% of the employed are in the informal economy, concentrated in retail trade, motorcycle taxi work, agriculture, domestic work, and microenterprises. According to the party, average income covers only about 58% of the family basket, forcing at least two people per household to work.
The PLD also questioned the government's refusal to apply wage indexation, which the party says the law requires. It noted that the last indexation took place in 2017 and that inflation has risen significantly since the pandemic.
On pensions, the party described the situation as alarming, saying that close to 1.3 million people will retire over the next eight years with insufficient income due to low wages, high informality, and other system failures.
Why it matters
If income doesn't cover the basic basket, Dominican families at home or in the U.S. that send remittances may have to rely on multiple jobs, informal work, or debt to get by.