Social organizations reject proposal to reform the Social Security Law
Various social sectors, led by the Broad Front (Frente Amplio), the Jesús Adón Popular Bloc, and the Class Union of Workers (UCT), have expressed their resounding rejection of the current proposal to amend the Social Security Law being debated in the National Congress. According to these organizations, the legislative project perpetuates the structural flaws of the current system and continues to prioritize the interests of the Pension Fund Administrators (AFP) and the Health Risk Administrators (ARS).
Representatives of these groups formally delivered a document to the office of the National District senator, Omar Fernández. In the text, they demand that any reform carried out in the chamber must prioritize effective and dignified social protection for both the working class and the general population.
Criticisms of the pension and health model
Juan Núñez, secretary general of the UCT, was emphatic in pointing out that the current individual capitalization model is incompatible with the reality of the Dominican labor market, marked by high informality, income instability, and insufficient wages. Núñez warned that any attempt to raise the retirement age or increase contributions is unacceptable if the structural deficiencies that prevent fair pensions are not addressed first.
The reform must guarantee effective social protection for the working class and the general population, setting aside the excessive profits of private entities to the detriment of citizens.
Spokespersons for social organizations
In the field of health, organizations questioned the following points:
- The limited catalog of medical services offered to affiliates.
- The proposal to create a separate insurance for catastrophic illnesses, which they consider an additional burden.
- The lack of comprehensive coverage that prevents the assets of Dominican families from being affected in the event of a medical emergency.
- The mandatory requirement for independent workers to contribute to the contributory regime without taking into account the precarious reality of labor informality.
Call for a profound change
The entities urged the National Congress to take into account the proposals developed by the Coalition for a Dignified Social Security. The central objective of their struggle is the creation of new legislation that places the fundamental rights of workers and comprehensive social protection as the central axis of any reform, leaving behind the purely commercial approach that, as they denounce, characterizes the current system.
