Rapid Response Network

Tag: Batay Ouvriye

  • May Day 2026 in Haiti

    May Day 2026 in Haiti

    Since April 13, 2026, Batay Ouvriye affiliated unions have been taking to the streets across Haiti in Port Au Prince, Ounaminthe, and Caracol. The mobilizations are a response to the government hike in fuel prices which have doubled transportation costs, while garment workers’ wages have not been adjusted for cost of living increases, as mandated by the labor code, in four years. 

    RRN members are fundraising to support them. You can donate here.

    The minimum wage in garment assembly factories is 685 gourdes/day (~ $5.23 USD). Gasoline now costs 850 gourdes/gallon (~ $6.50 USD).

    Yannick Etienne, a representative of Batay Ouvriye, shared that workers who commute from Carrefour (just south of Port Au Prince) to the SONAPI Industrial Park in the capital spend 600 gourdes per day on their commute alone. With a daily wage of 685 gourdes, they are left with 85 gourdes to pay rent, buy food, and send their children to school. It’s impossible. Workers are rightfully outraged. 

    Here are their demands:

    1. For the government to reverse its decision to increase fuel prices;
    2. For the government to issue a decree setting the minimum wage at 3,000 gourdes without increasing production tariffs, and to adopt accompanying social measures such as subsidies for transportation, social housing, and schools for workers’ children;
    3. For the government to finalize the decision previously taken by the Minister of Commerce together with the Minister of Finance to suspend a series of taxes and duties for workers in the textile sector.
    4. We call upon the Haitian government to take urgent actions to address the worsening security crisis. The government must resolve the insecurity that armed gangs are spreading in various areas of the country. These measures are essential to restore peace, protect communities, and ensure that workers and citizens can live and work without fear. We urge the authorities to act decisively to dismantle gang networks and guarantee safety across the nation. The programmed insecurity must stop immediately.


    Etienne shared that the most sustained mobilization is happening in Port Au Prince led by workers from the SONAPI Industrial Park. Debilitated by gang violence, the park that once employed 60,000 workers now employs around 2,000, mostly women.

    “These women are not messing around. They are determined to force the government to address their demands.”

    When the sound truck arrives outside SONAPI around 6am, the women quickly go inside to punch in, then walk out. Etienne said they often have to force their way out of the factory as managers try to lock them in.

    Women workers sing and celebrate. They pushed their way out of the factories to join the protest outside SONAPI Industrial Park.

    On May 1st, the workers will mobilize again for their demands, and in recognition of International Workers Day.

    Some Florida members of the RRN have organized a fundraiser to support their efforts, alongside a screening of the short documentary, Batay La (The Struggle). Please consider making a donation.

    DONATE

    If you’d like to watch the film, but can’t make it to south Florida, you can watch Batay La here. 

    Happy May Day. Thank you for your solidarity. Batay l’ap kontinye. (The struggle continues).

  • Haitian Workers Shutdown Factories

    Haitian Workers Shutdown Factories

    October 2025

    Insecurity continues in Haiti. On February 7, 2026 the current transitional government’s term ends. This temporary administration aimed to hold elections before this end date, but this is unlikely.

    There are two departments (similar to states in the US) in Haiti that hold the most votes – The West and Artibonite. These are also the areas most plagued by gang violence with homes being burned alongside regular shootings, and the rape of women.

    “On 30 September, the UN Security Council authorized a new multinational Gang Suppression Force (GSF) in Haiti to replace the Kenyan-led security support mission, amid escalating gang violence, widespread rights abuses and a humanitarian emergency affecting all aspects of life in the island nation” (United Nations). The Haitian transitional leadership hopes this new military group will be able to suppress the gangs to allow for elections, but they have yet to arrive in the country.

    Meanwhile, anger and frustration are high, particularly among workers as gang violence and overall instability blocks them from working while they struggle to stay alive. On September 25, 2025, in Port Au Prince, garment workers and members of the Batya Ouvriye affiliated union, SOTA-BO, held a sit-in, in front of the Prime Minister’s office and the Council of Presidential Transition (CPT), demanding increased wages. Mobilizing like this is a greater risk in the capital city as this is the apex of gang activity, showing how desperate these workers are for change.

    In October 2025, in Ouanaminthe at the CODEVI Free Trade Zone, workers shut down the industrial park. At their meeting with government officials, workers warned officials that they need to come with ways to increase, not decrease production. Further, they put forward that this production should benefit the Haiti and its people, rather than being purely extractive, as is the current arrangement.

    HOPE/HELP?

    On September 30, 2025, the day before the longest US government shutdown in histtory, the Hope and Help Acts expired. These laws allow textiles produced in Haiti to enter the US and Canada mostly tariff-free.

    Production in Haitian industrial parks has decreased drastically as gangs terrorize neighborhoods, control roads, highways and ports, making factory production increasingly difficult for workers’ safety and manufacturers’ operations.

    Apparel accounted for over 90% of U.S. merchandise imports from Haiti. The apparel sector also provided over 60,000 jobs in Haiti in 2021, though this number declined to nearly 22,000 by 2024 due to political instability and security concerns.

    A representative of Batay Ouvriye told the RRN that as of October 2025, CODEVI Free Trade Zone is the biggest operation right now with 20,000 workers. At SONAPI industrial park in Port Au Prince there are less than 5,000 workers right. At Caracol Industrial Park in Cap Haitien there are about 2,000 workers.

    In a country as dominated by imperialism as Haiti, brands and manufacturers want everything – land, infrastructure, workforce, and they want it cheapest, but ideally free. If they don’t get their way, they pack up and leave. When you add gang violence to the loss of duty-free imports to the US, global brands are even more likely to leave the country. The current global economy is arranged to facilitate corporations’ ability to globe-hop to wherever labor is cheapest, regulation is non-existent, and taxes and tariffs are minimal. Companies extract, exploit, and put nothing back into the country and people where goods are made.

    In this tense situation, Haitian manufacturers, on behalf of global brands produced in the country continue to try to squeeze workers for additional profit, and the trade unions affiliated with the workers movement Batay Ouvriye have hit a boiling point.

    BO vs. CODEVI

     CODEVI Free Trade Zone is located in Ounaminthe, a city in the northwest region of Haiti, bordering the Dominican Republic. CODEVI a Haitian company, owned and managed by Dominican company, Grupo M.  The industrial park mostly produces textiles. Here’s a list of the brands produced at CODEVI:

    Old Navy, Fruit of the Loom, Levi’s, GAP, Dockers, Liz Claiborne, Polo, Hanes, Calvin Klein, Columbia Sportswear, Levi Strauss, Lucky Brand Jeans, Nordstrom, Dillard’s

    Since 1994, Batay Ouvriye (Workers Struggle) has been building a nation-wide workers’ movement. They organize textile workers and informal workers (street vendors) in the cities and peasants and agricultural workers in the rural areas of Haiti.

    Inside CODEVI there are several BO-affiliated unions including:

    • SOKOWA-BO
    • SEDOC-BO
    • SOTECO-BO
    • SYNTRAC

    Shutdown of CODEVI

    Article 107 of the Haitian Labor Code says if a worker works 48 hours per week, or six days per week, they should get paid for a rest day on Sunday. Management at CODEVI has not complied with this article for years. The BO unions pressured them to comply. CODEVI agreed to begin applying Article 107 on October 6, 2025.

    However, they also said that they would now begin taking 20% tax from workers’ paychecks. These are taxes the employer is responsible for paying to the government towards a fund that pays workers for extra hours and for the paid holiday during the month of December.

    Prior to this round of negotiations around Article 107, CODEVI was paying these taxes. But when the workers asked for the paid rest day that is legally owed to them, CODEVI tried to shift the cost of these taxes onto the workers.

    In response, on October 6, 2025, the workers of CODEVI, led by BO unions, walked out of their respective factories, shutting down production. The same occurred the following day.

    On October 8, 2025, workers met with government officials including the Minister of Finance, Minister of Labor, and Minister of Economy & Industry. These officials agreed to temporarily pause collection of the taxes, protecting CODEVI, and pushing workers to resume their jobs in the factories.  But, the workers said no based on being disregarded in the negotiation process. The workers were included in this meeting, but their items were not included in the formal meeting agenda. So workers shut down CODEVI again with walkouts and work stoppage.

    Monday, October 13, 2025, CODEVI requested a temporary suspension of operations for one month from the Ministry of Labor from October 13th through November 7th, meaning workers would be out of work this entire time.

    Two days later on October 15th, CODEVI reneged on this suspension of operations. Instead, they put out a letter telling workers to get back to work. The government put out a statement saying it will withdraw both taxes, but no word about the minimum wage.

    Workers’ Demands

    • No more taxes
    • Publish a new minimum wage adjustment
      • Article 107 of the Haitian Labor Code also states that whenever there is a 10% increase in inflation, the government is supposed to adjust the minimum wage. They have not adjusted the wage since April, 2022. The inflation rate is currently around 40%.
      • Workers are demanding 2,500 gourdes/day (about $19 USD/day)
    • Social Benefits
      • There is a loan from the world bank the Haitian government can use to address social needs. This program will be over in 2026. Workers receive about 1500 gourdes from this fund at the beginning of each school year for back to school costs. This has been occurring for two years. Workers want a similar program to continue
      • Housing – affordable units with rent to own programs
      • Education costs – books, tuition, etc.
      • Transportation – subsidized for workers to commute to and from home and the factory
      • Subsidized meals and basic food goods in the industrial parks
    • Increase Production for Haiti & Haitians
      • At their meeting with government officials, union organizers pressed officials for increased production that benefits the country and its people with economic and social investment in Haiti and Haitians.
         
  • Workers Shot, Reporter Killed in Fight for Increased Wages

    Workers Shot, Reporter Killed in Fight for Increased Wages

    Note:  A big thanks to those who lent their solidarity to the workers and peasants of Batay Ouvriye during RRN’s emergency Summer/Fall 2021 fundraiser! Thanks to you we surpassed our $10,000 goal. Your support played a role in helping these workers through a very difficult time, so that they could organize this current campaign for 1,500 gourdes.

    Thursday, February 24, 2022
    Port Au Prince, Haiti

    Since February 9th, Haitian garment workers have been striking and taking the streets of the capital Port Au Prince to demand an increased minimum wage of 1,500 gourdes per day ($14.41 USD) from 500 gourdes per day ($4.80 USD).

    Since the start of these mobilizations, workers and their broad base of supporters have been met with tear gas and police repression. But yesterday, February 23rd, the repression reached a new intensity with one reporter shot and killed, reports of two other people injured and sent to hospital, and a worker who took two bullets to the leg is also in hospital. Several people were grazed by bullets and tear gas canisters launched at workers and protestors.

    REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
    REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

    The strike action and march on Wednesday, February 23rd was a response to the government’s insulting offer of 685 gourdes per day ($6.50 USD). For perspective, one egg costs about 50 gourdes. One banana costs about 25 gourdes. A plate of spaghetti from a lunch vendor costs about 100 gourdes. Transportation to and from work costs about 200 gourdes per day. Meanwhile inflation and the costs of all goods continue to rise, decreasing the value of the Haitain gourde and making it impossible for workers to pay rent, feed themselves, their families, or send their children to school. What are workers supposed to do with 685 gourdes? It’s a slap in the face.

    By law, the minimum wage is supposed to be adjusted annually for inflation. It has not been adjusted in three years. In the press conference video above on Tuesday, February 22nd, Telemark Pierre of the union SOTA-BO, explains that the workers do not accept the government’s offer, and that the workers will continue to mobilize.

    Pierre also exposed factory owners’ level of theft and exploitation in speaking to the press. The brands produced in Haiti, like Gildan, Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, UnderArmour, Gap, and Walmart pay Haitian factory owners like Clifford Apaid, Charles Baker, and Alain Villard in US dollars. The owners pay workers in Haitian gourdes, meaning they instantly pocket a profit in this exchange. On top of this, Haitian workers receive the lowest wage in the western hemisphere, allowing factory owners to make millions of dollars in profits. The brands make billions. The money is there for a meager 1500 gourdes per day (less than $15 USD PER DAY, not per hour).

    Factory owner Clifford Apaid is one of the 10 richest people in Haiti. He comes from one of Haiti’s most powerful families, dominates the factory owner lobbying group, the Association of Haitian Industries (ADIH), and also holds a level of power over the interim prime minister, Ariel Henry. Despite the immense level of his personal (about $350 million USD) and family wealth, he leads the effort of factory owners to resist wage adjustments and increases, along with consistently repressing workers’ legal right to organize.

    In the above video, the woman yells to the police:

    “What we, the workers, are demanding is just! You should not be teargassing us. These are your mothers out here! You can’t do that! The only reason you are able to stand here today as a police officer is because you had a mother who worked in a factory! These are your mothers!!”

    The workers hold broad support from neighborhood associations, human rights organizations, progressive political organizations, economists, street merchants and vendors, and even some politicians. Thousands of people have filled the street as workers or supporters of their demands. This is significant, as there have not been mobilizations of this scale in Port Au Prince since the assassination of former president Jovenel Moise and the increased power and violence of street gangs who control much of the city.

    These workers have contributed to a shift from fear to fighting back. Many people, besides the workers, have been in the streets to make sure that the mobilizations can continue, contributing to blockading streets, sending tear gas canisters back to the police, protecting each other from arrests and police attacks.

    This struggle is one we can all relate to. Across the US, workers and laborers are going on strike and organizing for better wages and working conditions. Around the world the people are struggling to keep up with costs of living as corporations see record profits. We can learn from the example of Haitian workers’ unrelenting struggle to organize and fight against domination and exploitation. When we are all organized, international solidarity truly comes to life!

    February 17th, 2021 REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol
    February 17th, 2022 REUTERS/Ralph Tedy Erol

    The RRN has received reports that the strike and march attempted for today, February 24th, was dispersed before it could start. Police surrounded the Sonapi Industrial Park, the regular starting point of marches, firing gun shots into the crowd. But, the struggle is not done…  because their fight is just, and their demand is a dire necessity. Some workers have been fired for their union activity. More firings are expected. Paychecks will be short because of the time off of work.

    If you can lend solidarity in the form of a donation for workers struggling to both eat and keep the fight going, it is much appreciated. The RRN works with the trade unions affiliated with the independent Haitian workers movement, Batay Ouvriye (BO). SOTA-BO is the union in Port Au Prince that has been at the forefront of this current mobilization. Your donation will be sent directly to Haiti to support these union members.

    Click here to DONATE.

    PS:  Thank you again if you gave during the Summer/Fall 2021 fundraiser to help Haitian workers and peasants with Batay Ouvriye continue organizing! Your donations provided important funds to help workers meet costs of living and for meetings to continue happening among workers and peasants. Can you spread the word to friends, family, coworkers, classmates to tell them what’s going on and ask them to lend their support?

    Thank you for your Solidarity!

    Kenbe Fem/Stay Strong
    Batay L’ap Kontinye/The Struggle Continues
    Mesi anpil/Thank you very much!