News from Batay Ouvriye in Haiti

In a letter to the Haitian Senate, the SOKOWA states, "We would like to see the Senators follow the example of the Deputies (members of parliament in the lower house) by supporting the proposed law to help us face the increasing cost of living."  
  
"With an inflation rate of around 19% at the end of 2008, no worker in Haiti can get enough to eat or drink or meet other needs", stated the SOKOWA union. "The proposed new minimum wage of 200 gourdes a day will not meet our needs, but, taking into account the country's situation, we can still accept it." (The current rate of exchange is 40 gourdes to one US dollar)  
  
The SOKOWA denounced the pressures that are being exerted on senators to reduce the minimum daily wage from the 200 gourdes already agreed by the Deputies.  
  
"We call on the Senators to vote for a minimum wage that is in the interests of workers. This is the minimum requirement if they want to serve the interests of the constituency of the workers of Haiti."  
  
The union's leaders invited the Senators to fulfill their responsibilities on this issue in order to provide some help to the country's poor, especially workers and labourers who sell their labour in the assembly factories.  
  
The upper house (the Senate) is currently considering the minimum wage legislation already passed by the Deputies in the lower house. The legislation introduced by the Deputy for Pétionville, Steven Benoît, sets the new minimum daily wage at 200 gourdes, compared the current rate of 70 gourdes that was introduced in 2003.  
  
(translated from French by Charles Arthur for the Haiti Support Group)  
  
Note:  
- The Haiti Support Group provided strong support for the SOKOWA union when it was formed in early 2004. The union waged a spirited and ultimately successful struggle to win recognition from the management of the Dominican-owned CODEVI FTZ where jeans and t-shirts are assembled for US companies including Levi's. For nearly two years, the Haiti Support Group helped run an international campaign in support of the SOKOWA union which finally forced the World Bank's International Finance Corporation and the Levi's company to exert pressure on the Dominican FTZ bosses. The latter were obliged to concede the workers' rights to unionise and engage in collective bargaining. Over recent months we had not heard from the union, and for this reason we were
pleased to receive the press release concerning the new minimum wage that is summarised above by our friends at the AlterPresse news agency in Haiti.  
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From the Haiti Support Group - A British solidarity organisation supporting the Haitian people's struggle for participatory democracy, human rights and equitable development - www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org