SANTO DOMINGO.- Dominican Republic’s businesses grouped in Copardom will meet next week to discuss the unions’ demand, which propose a 50 percent wage increase for employees who earn RD$30,000 or less.

Whereas the unions grouped in CNUS affirmed that if the businesses don’t respond to their concerns they could start a struggle that would include labor strikes, because basic family staples for five people cost as much as RD$19,000, while the minimum wage is RD$7,300 and RD$4,500, "which isn’t  enough for anything."

Copardom president Maribel Gassó said that after receiving a letter from CNUS last Thursday, she began to convene business representatives to meet and analyze the proposal’s reach and the possibility of satisfying it, or to reach a consensus on which everyone agrees. "As usual, we’re going to meet with them. We’re waiting for the National Business Council president to return from abroad, who’ll meet previously with the leadership, to then sit down with the union sector for a productive conversation."

She declined to speak of the proportion that business is willing to increase for the employees, alleging that that’s a decision that must be agreed by all. “We will meet and then we’ll see what comes of it. It’s a time of dialogue, of great consensus, to discuss great problems."