Lawmaker seeks probe into recurring requests for Yule bonus exemption

Rep. Adriana Gutiérrez Colón

By The Star Staff

Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP) at-large Rep. Adriana Gutiérrez Colón announced on Sunday the filing of a legislative measure to investigate the reasons why numerous employers consecutively or recurrently request that the Department of Labor and Human Resources (DTRH by its initials in Spanish) exempt them from the payment of the Christmas bonus to their employees.

“Every year, hundreds of companies request exemption from the Christmas bonus, alleging economic losses, but it is our duty to verify whether these requests are legitimate and whether the process adequately protects the working class,” said Gutiérrez Colón, who is also a lawyer. “We cannot allow this tool to become a mechanism of abuse to the detriment, for example, of our young people or our elderly who have been forced to work longer due to austerity policies.”

The alternate spokesperson for the PIP in the island House of Representatives stated that resolution 146 seeks to analyze the impact of the exemptions on workers and to evaluate whether the current process guarantees transparency and justice in the granting of such exemptions. The investigation will evaluate the criteria used by the DTRH to grant exemptions, the impact on the affected employees and whether amendments are necessary to the Law on the Christmas Bonus in Private Companies to avoid possible abuses.

According to DTRH data, in December 2024, 297 exemption requests were received, of which 275 were approved with total exemption, eight with partial exemption, and only 14 were denied.

“The Christmas bonus is a right that helps thousands of Puerto Rican families during the holiday season or in their particular needs,” Gutiérrez Colón said. “This investigation is essential to ensure that workers receive what they are entitled to and that companies that can truly fulfill this obligation do so.”

The spokesperson for the PIP House delegation, Rep. Denis Márquez Lebrón, and Rep. Nelie Lebrón Robles are listed as co-authors of the measure, according to reports.