Since Friday, 5/19/17, Haitian garment workers in Port Au Prince have been on strike, demanding an increased minimum wage from 350 to 800 Gourdes daily (from $5.50 to $12.60 per day).
On Monday, 5/22/17, the strike grew to other regions including Carrefour, just south of Port Au Prince, and Ounaminthe and Caracol in the north of the country.
Strike Shuts Down Garment Factories in Port Au Prince. Owners Make False Claims.
Tuesday, 5/23/17, workers in Port Au Prince and Carrefour returned to work, but many participated in a work stoppage. They simply sat at their workstations, but did not sew.
Around mid-day, CIMO, a riot police branch of the Haiti National Police, began entering factories in the SONAPI Industrial Park in Port Au Prince, as well as factories in Carrefour. They attacked workers, beating them severely. Many of these workers were women.
The RRN received a photo of one woman who was beaten “lifeless.” Workers fled from the factory, taking refuge in the Batay Ouvriye workers center near SONAPI, and others ran to a nearby radio station. The police waited for workers outside to beat and arrest them.
There are zero legal grounds for this brutal, repressive action.
Workers are within their rights to organize union activity and to strike.
Tuesday, 5/23/17 – four garment workers spoke via telephone on Radio Mega, 1700 AM Miami to speak about their fight. They said factory owners and the government have not recognized their communications or demands.
They responded, “We will not stop until they answer us.”
STAND WITH THESE BRAVE WORKERS.
LET’S PUT PRESSURE ON FACTORY OWNERS.
STOP ATTACKING WORKERS! PAY THEM 800 GOURDES! RESPECT THE RIGHT TO ORGANIZE!
ABA SALE MIZ! ABA EKSPLWATASYON! / DOWN WITH MISERY WAGES! DOWN WITH EXPLOITATION!
TODAY – Wed 5/24/17 – Let’s focus our pressure on some of the top factory owners in Port Au Prince & Carrefour!
Below is a fact sheet and contact list for factory owners responsible for this exploitation and repression.
Below the contact lists by region are:
- Sample emails, bullet points and social media posts that you can copy and paste, and insert appropriate info.
- Hashtags – #800Gourdes #StopAttackingWorkers #RRNsolidarity
- A list of organizations and acronyms to know
- Some perspective from the workers about boycotting and ethical consumption/conscious consumerism.
Please also make a financial contribution of $50, or any amount, to help fund this and future strikes. Donations are sent directly to Haiti and utilized by SOTA-BO, SOKOWA & SOVAGH to print leaflets, transport workers & organizers, and to feed striking workers.
RRN is not a 501(c)3, so donations are not tax-deductible… but they are a good way to exercise your conscience.
SOLIDARITY FOREVER.
PORT AU PRINCE/CARREFOUR:
Port Au Prince is the capital of Haiti.
SONAPI Industrial Park in Port Au Prince is where many of the textile factories are located, although some, like Premium Apparel, SA are located outside the industrial park complex.
Carrefour is just southwest of Port Au Prince and also has several textile factories.
SOTA-BO is the main textile union for this region, comprised of workers from different factories in Port Au Prince & Carrefour, Haiti, affiliated with Batay Ouvriye (Workers Fight) – an independent Haitian workers movement. They have led the fight in Port Au Prince for an increased minimum wage and have made several gains pushing back against factory owners and management, demanding the right to organize and the rehiring of workers illegally fired for union activity. They are strong and determined.
The Association of Industries of Haiti (ADIH)
ADIH is the main organization of the manufacturing sector in Haiti. Its mission is to promote and develop Haiti’s industrial sectors on a worldwide competitive basis. It’s comprised of several factory owners who work with the Haitian and US states to ensure low wages and to break up union activity, so that the Haitian garment assembly industry remains “competitive” on the global marketplace. They represent the interests of factory owners to maintain the exploitation of garment workers.
From the start of this strike, ADIH spread misinformation to the press, saying that workers were acting violently, attacking factories and workers. Yet, it is the factory owners who exercise brutal violence every day by refusing to pay workers a living wage. They keep workers in debt, poverty and on the brink of hunger and homelessness. When workers organize for their rights, it is the factory owners who command the police to attack workers with tear gas, rubber bullets… to literally beat the life out of them.
Reference: http://www.lenouvelliste.com/article/171217/inquiete-ladih-ferme-ses-usines-a-la-sonapi-pour-2-jours
ADIH Contact info:
Phone/Whats App: +509 37 22 95 66
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ADIH-Association-Des-Industries-dHaiti-418702228229983/
Twitter – @ADIHNews – https://twitter.com/ADIHNews?lang=en
George Sassine – president of ADIH & owner of AG Textiles, SA
Email: gsassine@gbgroup.com
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georges-sassine-3881a46
Alain Villard – Owner of Sewing International, SA (SISA) & Palm Apparel, SA
Once told workers at Palm Apparel that his dogs were more important than the workers in his factories.
Email: Alain.villard@palmapparel.com
Whats App: +509 3736 5000
Jean Paul Faubert – Vice President of Palm Apparel, SA
Email: jpfaubert@palmapparelgroup.com
Phone/Whats App: +509 3701 2002
Apaid Family – Owners of AGA Corporation/Premium Apparel, SA
Michel Apaid
Michel Apaid email: mapaid@agacorp.com
Michel Apaid – https://www.linkedin.com/in/michel-apaid-153b4145
Clifford Apaid – https://www.linkedin.com/in/clifford-apaid-47231213
AGA Corp address: 7209 NW 41 ST, Miami, FL 33166
AGA Phone: 305.592.1860
Charles Baker – Owner of One World Apparel & politician
Email: chbaker@pbapparel.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/respecharlito/
Twitter – @CharlesHBaker – https://twitter.com/charleshbaker?lang=en
Jay Jihoon Kim – General Director of H&H Textiles
Email: Jay@yjapp.com
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SAMPLE EMAIL:
To: Jay@yjapp.com; gsassine@gbgroup.com; alain.villard@palmapparel.com; mapaid@agacorp.com; jpfaubert@palmapparelgroup.com; chbaker@pbapparel.com; bureaumediationsecteurtextile@gmail.com; francois@betterwork.org; marie-louise.russo@adih.ht
cc: batayouvriye@hotmail.com; chalmerscamille6@gmail.com
Subject: STOP ATTACKING GARMENT WORKERS
I am emailing in support of Haitian garment workers in Port Au Prince, Carrefour, Ounaminthe and Caracol.
I am outraged by the use of brutal and deadly force against workers!
STOP ATTACKING WORKERS.
I stand with the workers who are bravely striking and demonstrating for their rights.
Factory owners and the brands they produce for make millions, sometimes billions of dollars in profit by exploiting these workers. They are within their rights to organize and demand decent pay to house, feed, clothe and educate themselves.
I insist on the following:
- Pay workers 800 Gourdes minimum wage & provide social services.
- Respect workers’ right to organize.
- Stop the repression against workers!
In solidarity with Haitian garment workers,
Your Name
City, State, or Country
#RRNsolidarity
#RightToOrganize
#800Gourds
#STOPATTACKINGWORKERS
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HASHTAGS:
#800Gourdes
#StopAttackingWorkers
#RRNSolidarity
#RightToOrganize
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SAMPLE TWITTER POST:
#StopAttackingWorkers #Haiti #800Gourdes @ADIHnews @CharlesHBaker the world is watching! https://goo.gl/g57ew1
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SHORTENED URL’S:
RRN Post, “Haitian Workers Brutally Attacked. Act Now.” – https://goo.gl/g57ew1
http://rapidresponsenetwork.info/2017/05/23/workers-under-attack/
RRN post, “Strike Shuts Down Garment Factories…” – https://goo.gl/EABeWb
Strike Shuts Down Garment Factories in Port Au Prince. Owners Make False Claims.
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ORGANIZATIONS, ACRONYMS TO KNOW:
SOTA-BO –
SOKOWA – textile trade union, affiliated with Batay Ouvriye, in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, mostly in the CODEVI Free Trade Zone.
SOVAGH – textile trade union, affiliated with Batay Ouvriye, in Caracol Haiti, mostly in the Caracol Industrail Park.
PLASIT-BO – a coalition of the three above textile trade unions affiliated with Batay Ouvriye. They coordinate struggles among the different regions.
Batay Ouvriye – an independent Haitian workers’ movement. They organize textile workers, peasants in the countryside, and neighborhood associations.
CIMO – riot police branch of the Haiti National Police force.
Ministry of Social Affairs – state entity that deals with labor issues and often engages in negotiations between factory owners and unions. They are basically in the pockets of factory owners.
ADIH – Association of Industries of Haiti comprised of factory owners and other industry heads who work to make sure that wages stay low and exploitative conditions remain to attract business to their factories. They function to increase profits for factory owners.
Better Work Haiti – a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The publish useful reports about the conditions of workers, wages, etc, but are basically ornamental.
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ON BOYCOTTING and ETHICAL CONSUMPTION:
Many folks ask, “What are the brands we should boycott?” Rather than boycotting, the RRN advocates directly engaging in pressure campaigns that voice the demands of workers, producing for brands. Haitian garment workers let us know that they want these jobs. They need them. But, they want them with dignity and a fair wage.
(We have pressured brands like Gildan, Hanes, Levi’s, Fruit of the Loom, and more. We’ll keep you posted about this for this current campaign).
The reality is that no matter what brand you choose to buy, from clothing to food, every good is tied into the global economy and is linked, at some point in the production process, to exploitation. There are no guilt-free products. Rather than scour the internet for “consciously produced” products, our efforts are most effective to stand behind the people who produce the goods we consume, the people fighting exploitation daily. We are not just passive consumers. We are people with a conscience. Let’s exercise our consciousness by amplifying the fight against exploitation!
Feel free to email us if you’d like more info about RRN, these ideas, or other ways to get involved: RRNsolidarity@gmail.com
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Please also make a financial contribution of $50, or any amount, to help fund this and future strikes. Donations are sent directly to Haiti and utilized by SOTA-BO, SOKOWA & SOVAGH to print leaflets, transport workers & organizers, and to feed striking workers.
RRN is not a 501(c)3, so donations are not tax-deductible… but they are a good way to exercise your conscience.
#RRNsolidarity