(Information provided by a new
report from Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) . The
full report is available on the CPT website at www.prairienet.org/cpt
or in hard copy by calling (312) 666/2677)
The assembly sector in Haiti dates
back to the early 1970's, when the Haitian government
began to encourage foreign investment. The sector
grew rapidly, and by 1982 was the biggest in the
Caribbean with 260 factories employing 65,000 workers
making baseballs, garments, and light electronics. In
1982, the assembly sector went into decline. During
the military dictatorship of 1991-1994, the
number of workers in the assembly sector dropped to
4000. Since the end of the military period in 1994,
the assembly industry has made a modest recovery to
about 17,000 workers.
Ten apparel factories produce
garments with Walt Disney designs and labels. Before
H.H. Cutler pulled out of Haiti, that number stood at
14. At least four U.S. garment manufacturers licensed
to produce Disney garments use or have recently used
Haitian factories to assemble their products: L.V.
Myles Corporation, V.F. Corporation, Waterbury
Gannent Corporation, and H.H. Cutler. Warner Brothers
Loony Tunes garments are also assembled in Haiti.
Most factories pay their workers
on a piece basis, though they are required by law to
pay at least the minimum wage of 36 gourdes per day,
equivalent to $2.17 U.S. Workers in some factories do
not earn the minimum wage if they do not reach their
production quota, in clear violation of the Haitian
labor code.
The factory workers told CPT
delegation members that $2.17 is, in any case, not
enough money to live on. When asked what would be a
fair wage, workers generally replied that $4.50 would
be acceptable. At least one factory owner told the
visitors that the minimum wage could be doubled
without affecting the competitiveness of the factory.
The report tells of the firing of
all the workers at a BVF Apparel Manufacturing
factory and the factory's move to a different
location, and also describes the firing of 150
workers at L.V. Myles. Here workers spoke with a
Disney monitoring delegation which visited the
factory. The Haitian constitution guarantees
the right to organise. In 1991, prior to the coup,
there were many unions. During the coup, however, a
number of factories closed down, while many union
leaders were searched out and killed. Now many
workers are afraid to organise.
