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Dominican Republic Trade Unions
As of 1989, trade unions had not played the
consistently
strong role in the political system that the economic
elites had.
Only a small percentage (5 to 7 percent) of the population
(12 to
15 percent of the labor force) belonged to labor unions in
the
late 1980s, and the unions themselves tended to be
internally
fragmented and weak.
The trade unions were also inclined to be highly
political;
most were associated with the major political parties.
There were
a Christian Democratic trade union group, a communist
labor
organization, a group of unions associated with the PRD,
an
organization for government workers, a teachers' union,
and one
relatively nonpartisan group. The several union groups
conflicted
as often with each other as with management.
Since most Dominicans earned very low salaries, the
unions
could not support themselves, or very many of their
activities,
on the basis of union dues. Several of the major groups
received
funding from outside the country. In addition, because the
country typically had high rates of unemployment and
underemployment and a surplus of unskilled labor,
employers often
replaced workers who tried to organize. Sometimes
employers
engaged in what could be described as union-breaking
activities,
including the summoning of the police to put down union
activities. These and other conditions both weakened and
politicized the labor movement. Although collective
bargaining
had gained popularity and legitimacy, political action was
still
more widely used by the unions to satisfy their demands.
Political action might take the form of street
demonstrations,
violence, marches to the National Palace, and general
strikes--
all meant to put pressure on the government to side with
the
workers in labor disputes. In extreme cases, a general
strike
might be called in an effort to topple a government or a
labor
minister deemed insufficiently receptive to labor's
demands.
Data as of December 1989
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