Haiti Libre:
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The numerous demonstrations and illegal strikes (not following the procedures of the Labor Code) of workers in the textile sector who demand a rise of more than 200% of the minimum wage (from 350 to 800 Gourdes per day) have paralyzed since mid-May most of the textile factories in Haiti, the losses of these companies are estimated at several million dollars according to their leaders.
Given the importance of these losses several companies including among others Astro Carton d’Haïti S.A ; The Willbes Haitian S.A ; Pacific Sports Haïti S.A et Textile Youm Kwang S.A claims in a letter to the Prime Minister, the intervention of the Government of Haiti to end the paralysis of their activities, not excluding otherwise to cease their activities and leave Haiti to move to other countries.
In their letter, 6 company managers explain “[…] we are making a formal request to end these problems that have an impact on our industry and our investments in Haiti. If, in the future, these demonstrations are not contained, we will be forced to look for alternative business alternatives in search of stability […] cost competitiveness, quality of production and the proximity with the United States are the reasons why we chose Haiti, by focusing on significant improvements in wage predictability and political stability. If these benefits cease to exist, we will have to make other strategic arrangements and leave Haiti to move to other regions where there is a real willingness on the part of governments to promote investment and defend investors, and protecting decent jobs […]”
For his part, Yanick Etienne of the Trade Union Association “Batay Ouvriye” affirms that the trade unions of the textile workers maintain their position and will continue to demand 800 gourdes as minimum wage and measures of social accompaniment.
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