Congress awaits the Executive Branch to send its proposal
Santo Domingo.- Opposition deputies considered this Tuesday that the long-awaited reform of Law 87-01 on Social Security continues to be delayed due to a lack of initiative from the Executive Branch, while demanding that the proposal be submitted to the National Congress to respond to the population’s demands regarding health and pensions.
Fuerza del Pueblo deputy Alcibíades Tavárez asserted that there is a broad social demand to modify the regulations and held the Government responsible for the fact that the bill has not yet been submitted to Congress. He explained that, during meetings held months ago with a bicameral commission, the Minister of Labor reported that the proposal would be sent soon, but to date, it has not materialized.
“The entire population, the entire Dominican society is calling for an amendment to Social Security Law 87-01. It seems like a delaying tactic to avoid modifying that law because there are many interests involved and the Government does not want to touch them,” the legislator expressed.
For his part, Deputy Rafael Castillo stated that the Government has been circulating a draft reform among different sectors linked to the social security system, although he understands that it would be waiting for the final approval of the Labor Code to submit the initiative to Congress. He pointed out that, although the legislative commission has made progress in the study of existing proposals, the Executive’s push is still needed to concretize the transformation of the system.
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Castillo warned that current legislation has significant flaws, especially in the areas of health and pensions. He maintained that numerous services do not meet the needs of members and warned that the first pensions derived from the current model could prove insufficient. “If that anomaly is not corrected in time, the Dominican Republic will be in the streets because the pensions would be very low,” he stated.
Meanwhile, deputy José David Báez criticized the Government’s lack of decision to promote changes in both the Labor Code and the Social Security Law. He asserted that the regulations require a profound reform due to the difficulties citizens face in paying for consultations, medications, and accessing decent pensions.
“The Social Security Law strikes directly at the heart of the Dominican people and must be resolved once and for all. People are paying a lot of money in out-of-pocket expenses for consultations and medicines, while receiving meager pensions,” he stated.
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In this regard, the representative of Participación Ciudadana, Lady Blanco, considered that this government must respond to the “urgent and necessary” demand of the Dominican people, taking into account the large majority that the ruling party holds in the National Congress.
After 25 years of implementation, various organizations have also raised their voices regarding the need to promote a comprehensive reform of Law 87-01, while demanding participation in the discussions for the drafting of a piece of legislation that guarantees fundamental rights and strengthens social protection in the Dominican Republic.
