Textile workers in Haiti took the streets of the capital a second time in two weeks, demanding wage increases. Workers at sweatshop, trousers and other garment factories also protested the dismissal of some 40 trade unionists in an Industrial park in Port-au-Prince. They have now entered their third week on strike, promising to continue fighting for better working conditions. Their core demands include a minimum wage increase from roughly US$5.50 to US$12.60 per day, protections against quota increases and access to social services for all workers. They also noted that production quotas are set high, that factory owners and management mistreat workers, and that workers' salaries often amount to less than the current minimum wage. Dozens of textile factories in Port Au Prince has been closed because of this strike.
The strike, has spread to the country's four main cities: Port Au Prince, Carrefour, Ounaminthe and Caracol. These malfeasances, union organizers, cognizant that their co-workers receive the lowest wage in the Western Hemisphere, are frequently pestered by management and arbitrarily fired simply for demanding their legal rights. Working hours of the workers are between 12-16 hours per day, which has led the garment workers, to live in debt, hungry and on the brink of homelessness in working.
The Association of Haitian Industries claimed that “militants and syndicatists” were responsible for beating workers, forcing them to join the picket lines in favor of improved work conditions.
