Santo Domingo, RD
Every morning, for Amalia Vasquez, she tastes like sweat, from a very young time she made a living making sacrifices, washing dishes, cleaning floors, washing clothes, caring for young people and expressing her desires that her daughters and sons should do so. go through what I had to do.
He sits through the window when I ask him how he survived the effects of COVID-19 and says, “Look, by the grace of God. “He points out that he had to leave paintings with a solemn face because of the pandemic because he is hypertensive and has many fitness problems.
“In the first few months I held on with God’s help and even saving the minimum weight. I’m a single mom with a circle of family members who trust me. I owed cash to the bank, and other than that, some cardholders who made the other people close to me who ripped me off, and now I have to pay this $24,700 debt,” she says, out the window.
As the first few months of quarantine passed, Amalia was forced to return to work, worrying about the threat of coVID less than her considerations of daily desires and debts, although career situations are more demanding, she had to settle for. for less pay because the girl you work for closed the business and may not pay you like it used to.
Another similar tragedy experienced by Mari Sosa, 45, who, when the pandemic occurred, took over a 106-year-old woman, two other older adults, and took over space work for a payment of $10,000. he did not agree to remain in space permanently until his quarantine lasted and had to resort to his circle of relatives to stay financially afloat.
In an interview with Liston Diario, National Federation of Workers (Fenamutra) President Ruth Esther Daaz said that according to the most recent census, more than 300,000 more people were engaged in family tasks and that in March this year, the result of During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 90% was out of work. The 10% who remained in his work had to settle for being confined to his workplace.
In conversation, Elena Pérez, executive secretary of the Association of Domestic Workers, a subsidiary of the National Confederation of Trade Union Unity (CNUS), said she had suffered unsused dismissals, unsalted pensions and many to stay in their jobs were confined to employer households.
He pressured that these personnel were exposed to the virus because, without proper protocol, they had to be guilty of purchases, deliveries and other situations. “Many fell and were sent home. Three leaders of our union died of COVID and more than three. “one hundred affiliated employees. “
Remember that domestic painting has been very vulnerable since before the pandemic and that it remains marginalized, unprotected and assuming new demanding situations such as tutoring young people who obtain virtual schooling at home and who fall within their duty not only to care for them. . but to check that they are doing their categories and paintings of the house.
He adds that lately of the 90% who had to keep the house pay, 60% have still returned in volatile conditions, with negotiations lower than they had before and with few protective measures.
According to industry staff, some domestic workers earn up to RD $5,000 depending on their duties. “It depends a lot on the user you paint for and how many daily jobs you have. I know women who earn seven, 8 and up to ten thousand. “Some employees spend twice a week earning RD $5,000 or $6,000. »
Many employers, the food they supply during the working day is part of the wages of domestic workers.
Ruth Esther Daaz of Fenamutra said one of the pitfalls they faced in achieving their rights identified the absence of a representative of entrepreneurs in this sector to identify a tripartite table with force to factor resolutions. There is no union in the country, that brings together the domestic staff sector.
In conjunction with the Association of Home Workers, Elena Pérez, the biggest call is the effective implementation of Convention 189 ratified throughout the country in 2013 with access in force in 2015 and which has not been implemented.
He added that the demands of domestic staff or taken into account in the emergency measures and financial aid that followed the rest of the crisis should be maintained. That the payment of the salary is guaranteed when the paint strike does not have the will to cease the layoffs and that employers be sanctioned for breach of the agreed commitments.
As Plan B, unions are fighting in the National Congress to identify a special law regulating domestic or domestic work, for this they have already submitted a draft.
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