Governor signs Labor Reform bill into law

By The Star Staff

Gov. Pedro Pierluisi Urrutia announced on Monday that he signed into law House Bill 1244, the Labor Reform, which extends rights to workers in the private sector.

The governor thus rejected the position of the Financial Oversight and Management Board that he was prevented from signing the legislation and that it would have an adverse effect on the economy.

“I announce that I have decided to sign the labor reform bill that increases rest time, fringe benefits, and employment protections for workers in the private sector in Puerto Rico,” the governor said in his message. “This new law makes it more attractive and safer to enter the workforce at a time when the vast majority of companies are looking for employees and when we need more workers to advance the reconstruction of Puerto Rico.”

Pierluisi added that “an employee must have the right to a reasonable period of vacation per year, because that increases -- not decreases -- their productivity.”

He noted that he worked along with the leadership of the Legislative Assembly to achieve a more balanced and beneficial bill for everyone on the island. In particular, the governor said, modifications were achieved in provisions that would otherwise have hindered small and midsize businesses, and that could have discouraged employee recruitment.