Employment
Código de Trabajo of 1992 with cesantía on dismissal without cause
Ley 16-92, the Código de Trabajo, governs employment and distinguishes sharply between desahucio, termination at will with payment of statutory severance, and despido justificado, dismissal for cause. Severance, known as auxilio de cesantía, is calculated on a rising scale per year of service and is the central economic feature of Dominican terminations. Labour disputes are heard by specialised Juzgados de Trabajo, with mandatory conciliation first.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Juzgados de Trabajo, with appeal to the Corte de Trabajo
- Deadline — Notification of a dismissal for cause: to the Ministerio de Trabajo within 48 hours
- Deadline — Employee claim for unjustified dismissal: within two months of termination
- Deadline — Christmas salary (regalía pascual): paid by 20 December
Governing law
- Ley 16-92 Código de Trabajo
- Ley 87-01social security
- Reglamento 258-93
- Ley 47-20alliances, for public sector contracting
In practice
The 48-hour notification rule is decisive and unforgiving: an employer who dismisses for genuine cause but fails to notify the Ministry within 48 hours is treated as having dismissed without cause and owes full cesantía. That single procedural step accounts for a large share of employer losses in Dominican labour litigation, irrespective of the underlying misconduct.