Ending Intimidation of Textile Workers: Campaign. Haiti Support Group, London, 6 October 2011

The Haitian workers rights organisation Batay Ouvriye (BO), has launched a campaign against the recent union busting tactics being engaged in by a number of Haitian textile companies –  members of ADIH (Association of Industries of Haiti). Batay launched a letter-writing campaign to protect union members in the textile sector.

These have proved very effective in protecting workers’ rights in the past.

Freedom of association is recognized in the Haitian constitution and in the Labor code. Workers can join a union of their choice. SOTA (Sendika Ouvriye Tekstil ak Abiman), whose members have been targetted, is legally recognized by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour.

Ending intimidation. Batay calls on the owners of the assembly factories Multiwear, Genesis and One World Apparel where workers were harassed, intimidated or dismissed because either they are members or sympathizers of a union, to cease those practices and comply with Haiti’s legislation regarding labour relations and the code of conduct of the companies producing textiles in their plants, notably the Gildan Activewear corporation. Batay Ouvriye demands the following:

• The reinstatement of all SOTA executive committee members and other ordinary members and the recognition of the SOTA union as representing textile factory workers;
• That the Management and SOTA executive committee to discuss the list of demands of the workforce of all the factories involved;
• The Minister of Social Affairs and Labour to take appropriate steps to ensure that the right of workers to join a union is protected;
• The Gildan company to require its suppliers in Haiti to issue a statement to the workforce both verbally and in writing, stating that workers have the right to join a union and to collective bargaining with the management.
• All textile companies that are members of ADIH to stop blacklisting workers.

For more details and the campaign letters/email go to the Campaigns section of this website.