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Hartley’s submission under Chapter 16 (the Labor
Chapter) of CAFTA-DR. The review was compiled
as a result of two missions to the Dominican
Republic and numerous consultations with the
Dominican government, sugarcane workers, and
employers and found labor violations in all of the
above issues Father Hartley sought to address. 564
Subsequently, the USDOL committed to working
with the Dominican government to develop timebound
measures to address the recommendations
it made in the report. The USDOL has since issued
reviews of the Dominican Republic’s progress every
six months.
The resulting actions by the sugarcane
industry and the Dominican government over the
past two years indicate substantial improvement in
labor practices and a concerted effort by employers
and the government to address the USDOL’s concerns.
Most remarkably, the Dominican Republic issued a
resolution to its social security law in November 2015
such that all persons with a regularized migratory
status in the Dominican Republic could participate
in the Dominican Social Security System (SDSS).
The Dominican government reported that 239,956
people were granted regularized temporary status
as a result of the Regularization Law. The resolution
stipulates that employers are required to enroll all
these workers in the SDSS by showing they have
regularized migratory status and by providing
workers’ current employment contracts. 565 While
this is a commendable step that the Dominican
government has taken, this leaves the private
sector with a great deal of responsibility to provide
adequate documentation to its employees, which is
an area the private sector has previously faltered in.
The European Union
The European Union (EU) has a big influence
on Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The Europeans
have annual bilateral meetings with both countries
and signed an Economic Partnership Agreement
(EPA). According to the European Commission, Haiti
is the biggest receiver of EU aid in the Caribbean. 566 In
regard to the refugee crisis, the Spokesperson of the
EU High Representative issued a statement in 2014,
saying that the EU recognizes “the sovereign right
of the Dominican Republic to determine its policies
on nationality and migration, [but] encourages a
rapid implementation of […] necessary measures
in line with universal human rights standards.” 567
Therefore, while the EU has not made strong
statements in this regard, it has maintained strong
economic relationships with both countries.
According to the OAS in Santo Domingo, the EU
has also offered financial support to the OAS to
help provide documentation (birth certificates and
identification cards) to Haitian citizens who applied
for the Regularization Plan. 568
564 “Dominican Republic Submission Under CAFTA-DR,”
United States Department of Labor, accessed on April
28, 2016, http://www.dol.gov/ilab/trade/agreements/
dominicanrepsub.htm.
565 “Twenty-Four-Month Review of Implementation of
Recommendations in the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Public Report of Review of Submission 2011-03
(Dominican Republic),” United States Department of
Labor, accessed on April 28, 2016, http://www.dol.gov/
ilab/reports/pdf/Dominican%20Republic%2024-month%20
review%20statement.pdf
566 “Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection – Haiti,”
European Commission, December 09, 2015, accessed
March 29, 2016 http://ec.europa.eu/echo/where/latinamerica-carribean/haiti_en.
567 “Statement by the Spokesperson of EU High Representative
Catherine Ashton on the Occasion of the 2nd High Level
Binational Dialogue between Dominican Republic and
Haiti,” European External Action Service, February 04, 2014,
accessed April 02, 2016, http://www.eeas.europa.eu/statements/
docs/2014/140204_01_en.pdf.
568 Azuara Ferreiro, interview.