Since Monday, the number of complaints by workers who have not received their mandatory holiday bonus, known as Aguinaldo, has climbed to 70. According to a report filed by Jarmon Noguera of daily newspaper La Prensa Libre, the Ministry of Labor has entered 24 judicial actions against employers who have not yet paid the 13th month of pay as dictated by law in Costa Rica. Eight offices of the Ministry of Labor will stay open from 8 am to 4 pm until Christmas Eve to help workers whose Grinch-like bosses refuse to hand over the holiday bonus. These offices… The post Grinch Bosses Refuse to Pay Holiday Bonus in Costa Rica appeared first on Costa Rica Star News. Continue reading → The post Grinch Bosses Refuse to Pay Holiday Bonus in Costa Rica appeared first on Costa Rica Bookings.
Since Monday, the number of complaints by workers who have not received their mandatory holiday bonus, known as Aguinaldo, has climbed to 70. According to a report filed by Jarmon Noguera of daily newspaper La Prensa Libre, the Ministry of Labor has entered 24 judicial actions against employers who have not yet paid the 13th month of pay as dictated by law in Costa Rica.
Eight offices of the Ministry of Labor will stay open from 8 am to 4 pm until Christmas Eve to help workers whose Grinch-like bosses refuse to hand over the holiday bonus. These offices are located in Alajuela, San Jose, Cartago, Heredia, Puntarenas, Liberia, and Perez Zeledon. When Ministry officials put morose employers on notice, a 24 hour period of compliance begins; should payment still be outstanding by then, a fine between one to three holiday bonuses will be imposed. After that, the Ministry may petition courts to close and liquidate the business.
In 2012, a very popular article published by The Costa Rica Star told the story of an investor from the United States who closed down a call center here because of the Aguinaldo:
There is one more benefit that Tico workers enjoy, which puts fear deep in the hearts of foreign investors and would-be employers: the dreaded aguinaldo. The mere mention of the word is like kryptonite to some businessmen with capitalistic mindsets. The state-mandated Christmas bonus in Costa Rica can turn wannabe JP Morgans and John Jacob Astors into scrooge-like beings who **** for the mountains at the thought of having to shell out a thirteenth salary.
Such is the case for William McCarthy, owner of Cloud Systems International Inc. According to an article by Jim Martin of the Erie Times-News of Pennsylvania, Mr. McCarty is reverse-sourcing his call centers from Costa Rica to the United States. Why? The article on the Erie Times-News explains:
For a number of reasons, including rising wages and a law in Costa Rica that requires employers to give workers an annual bonus equal to one-months pay, that financial advantage has been disappearing.
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