Haitian garment workers protest to demand higher wages

Source: Reuters

Haitian garment workers protest to demand higher wages

Ralph Tedy Erol and Gessika Thomas
Thu, February 17, 2022, 6:09 PM·2 min read

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Thousands of Haitian garment workers protested in Port-au-Prince on Thursday to demand higher wages following weeks of similar demonstrations over pay and working conditions at firms that export to U.S. clothing retailers.

For decades, Haiti has promoted itself as a center for clothing manufacturing thanks to low wages and proximity to U.S. markets, but has faced consistent complaints that wages are too low to cover the cost of basic goods in the Caribbean nation.

Workers are seeking a raise that would take their daily wage to 1,500 gourdes (USD 15), from the current wage of 500 gourdes (USD 5), union leader Dominique St Eloi said in a telephone interview.

"With 500 gourdes per day, without any government subsidies, we cannot meet our needs while the price of basic goods, transport costs have increased," said St Eloi, coordinator for the National Union of Haitian Workers.

St Eloi said that if factory managers did not respond, they would ask Haiti's government to raise the minimum wage.

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Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/haitian-garment-workers-protest-demand-230947872.html