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LABOR ACTIVITY IN HAITI
Sept. 22, 1978, midnight
1. SUMMARY: THE HAITIAN LABOR SCENE HAS BEEN UNUSUALLY ACTIVE IN RECENT WEEKS, WITH MINI-STRIKES, THREATENED STRIKES AND CONTRACT RENEGOTIATIONS RECEIVING WIDE MEDIA ATTENTION. ALL RECENT LABOR ACTIONS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED AGAINST ENTERPRISES WITH AT LEAST PARTIAL FOREIGN OWNERSHIP, INCLUDING U.S. IN TWO CASES WORKERS HAVE DEMANDED REMOVAL OF FOREIGN MANAGERS OR SUPERVISORS. LABOR ACTIVISTS HAVE NOT ALWAYS APPEARED TO HAVE WORKERS' BEST INTEREST IN MIND. SO FAR THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS HAS BEEN ABLE TO RESOLVE ALL DISPUTES, BUT THE GROWING TENDENCY TOWARD WILDCAT STRIKES HAS PROMPTED THE MININISTRY TO PUBLISH A WARNING THAT INSTIGATORS OF "ILLEGAL" STRIKES ARE SUBJECT TO PROSECUTION. THIS RECENT FLURRY OF ACTIVITY IS REMINISCENT OF UNPRECEDENTED LABOR UNREST LAST YEAR FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 22 CELEBRATION (REFTEL), BUT ON A SOMEWHAT SMALLER SCALE AND SO FAR WITHOUT DIRECT INVOLVEMENT OF PRESIDENT DUVALIER. THESE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS REFLECT A GROWING WILLINGNESS OF WORKERS, INCLUDING THE LESS SKILLED, TO PUBLICLY AIR THEIR GRIEVANCES -AND IN SOME CASES TO MAKE UNREASONABLE DEMANDS. SOME HAITIAN OFFICIALS AND OTHER OBSERVERS HAVE PRIVATELY BLAMED "COMMUNIST CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 PORT A 03949 251541Z AGITATORS" FOR SOME OF THE UNREST. EMBASSY SO FAR HAS NO INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE THAT THIS IS THE CASE. AT THE SAME TIME, IT WOULD BE PREMATURE TO INTERPRET RECENT LABOR ACTIVITY AS DEMONSTRATING THE GROWTH OF AN INDEPENDENT AND DEMOCRATIC LABOR MOVEMENT IN HAITI. END SUMMARY. 2. RECENT LABOR ACTIVITY IN HAITI HAS INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 EVENTS: -- RAYNOLDS HAITIAN MINES (BAUXITE). DURING CONTRACT RENEGOTIATIONS, IN WHICH THE REYNOLDS UNION INITIALLY DEMANDED AN 80 PERCENT SALARY INCREASE FOR WORKERS, A MINI-STRIKE WAS CONDUCTED AUGUST 23 AND ENDED THE SAME DAY. WITH MEDIATION BY THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS, A SETTLEMENT WAS REACHED FOR A 17 PERCENT PAY INCREASE. REYNOLDS WORKERS WERE ALREADY AMONG THE BEST PAID IN HAITI. AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE BENEFITS IN THE NEW CONTRACT, A WORKER MAY GET UP TO 250 034CENT OF NORMAL HOURLY WAGES FOR WORKING ON SATURDAY IF THAT IS NOT HIS NORMALLY SCHEDULED SHIFT. ALL NIGHT WORK (BETWEEN 6 PM AND 6 AM) AND WORK ON SUNDAY CARRIES A 50 PERCENT BONUS, AS DOES WORK ON HOLIDAYS (FOR WHICH THE WORKER ALSO RECEIVES AN EQUIVALENT AMOUNT OF EXTRA LEAVE). OVERTIME IS PAID AT TIMEAND-A-HALF. -- CIMENT D'HAITI. THE UNION WAS ASKING FOR A 30 PERCENT PAY INCREASE AND THREATENED A STRIKE AUGUST 28. AFTER MINISTRY MEDIATION, A SETTLEMENT WAS REACHED AUGUST 30 FOR AN AVERAGE 16 PERCENT RAISE. -- SANGAMO-BARTER. THIS AMERICAN COMPANY, WHICH IS BUILDING A SECTION OF THE SOUTH ROAD UNDER CONTRACT TO THE IADB, CLOSED DOWN OPERATIONS FOR ABOUT A MONTH DURING A COMPLICATED DISPUTE WITH THE GOH. DURING THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 4, SHORTLY AFTER CONSTRUCTION HAD RESUMED, THE WORKERS STRUCK BRIEFLY FOR BACK PAY AND COMPLAINED ABOUT SALARY DIFFERENTIALS BETWEEN HAITIAN AND FOREIGN EMPLOYEES. A PRESS CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 PORT A 03949 251541Z ACCOUNT ACCUSED SANGAMO-BARTER OF USING THE "BIG STICK" PPROACH AND WENT ON TO SAY THAT HAITI WOULD NOT BE FACING A ROADCONSTRUCTION PROBLEM TODAY "IF THE U.S. HAD LIVED UP TO ITS OBLIGATIONS TOWARD HAITI" DURING THE 1915-1934 OCCUPATION. -- FRENCH HOSPITAL. A GROUP OF LESS-SKILLED EMPLOYEES, APPARENTLY SUPPORTED BY SOME NURSES, THREATENED TO STRIKE SEPTEMBER 12. THEY DEMANDED THE REMOVAL OF THE HOSPITAL'S FRENCH ADMINISTRATOR, SISTER CHRISTINE, AND IMPROVEMENTS IN SALARIES AND WORKING CONDITIONS. THE MINISTRY INTERVENED TO PREVENT THE STRIKE, POINTING OUT THAT IT WOULD BE ILLEGAL UNDER THE LABOR CODE. THE HOSPITAL HAS BEEN ASKED TO ADJUST ITS ADMININISTRATIVE AND PERSONNEL STRUCTURE AND TO ALIGN ITS SALARIES WITH THOSE OF COMPARABLE INSTITUTIONS. MOST PRESS ACCOUNTS, WHILE EXPRESSING SOME SYMPATHY WITH WORKER CONCERS, CONDEMNED THE STRIKE ATTEMPT. ""HAITIAN-AMERICAN SUGAR COMPANY (HASCO). A GROUP OF WORKERS SENT A LETTER TO THE MANAGEMENT SEPT 15, THREATENING A STRIKE WITHIN 48 HOURS UNLESS THE COMPANY (A) FIRED MANAGER OCTAVE GUTEKUNST, A U.S. CITIZEN; AND (B) INSTITUTED A PROFIT-SHARING SYSTEM. HASCO MANAGEMENT ALERTED THE MINISTRY OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS. SUBSEQUENTLY THE HASCO UNION, HEADED BY ANDRE EDOUARD, WROTE A SECOND LETTER TO MANAGEMENT DISOWNING Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 THE STRIKE THREAT. ON SEPT 30, THE MINISTRY FOLLOWED UP WITH A FORMAL COMMUNIQUE, PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT DAILY LE NOUVEAU MONDE, REMINDING WORKERS THAT UNLESS THE PROVISIONS OF THE LABOR CODE GOVERNING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ARE FOLLOWED, STRIKES ARE ILLEGAL AND PERSONS ORGANIZING THEM ARE SUBJECT TO LEGAL SANCTIONS. ARTICLES IN OTHER PAPERS CRITICIZED THE THREATENED HASCO STRIKE, AS WELL AS THE ONE AT THE FRENCH HOSPITAL, AND POINTED OUT THAT SUCH DISORDERLY LABOR ACTIVITY THREATENS FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN HAITI. EMBASSY'S VIEW IS THAT HASCO INCIDENT, AS ULTIMATUM TO MANAGEMENT SHOWS, WAS INTENEDD TO DISRUPT LABOR-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS AND AGGRANDIZE POSITION OF ACTIVISTS RATHER THAN TO IMPROVE THE LOT OF WORKERS. WE DO NOT BELIEVE MINISTRY INTERVENTION SERVED TO STIFLE LEGITIMATE GRIEVANCES. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 PORT A 03949 251541Z 3. WHILE THESE LABOR ACTIONS CANNOT YET BE CONSIDERED EVIDENCE OF A BURGEONING INDEPENDENT LABOR MOVEMENT IN HAITI, NEITHER DO THEY ALL APPEAR TO BE GOVERNMENT-DIRECTED. TO THAT EXTENT, WORKERS AND UNIONS IN HAITI NOW APPEAR TO ENJOY GREATER AUTONOMY, AND A WILLINGNESS TO EXERCISE IT, THAN WAS TRUE SEVERAL YEARS AGO. ONE CAUSE OF THIS INCREASED ACTIVITY IS THE PUBLIC COMMITMENT OF THE GOH TO INCREASED LIBERALIZATION AND DEMOCRATIZATION, WHICH HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE NOT JUST FOR UNIONS BUT ALSO INDIVIDUAL WORKERS TO AIR THEIR CONCERNS AND DEMANDS, FOR EXAMPLE THROUGH RADIO INTERVIEWS IN FRENCH OR CREOLE. THE THREATENED STRIKE AT THE FRENCH HOSPITAL IS INTERESTING IN THAT IT APPEARS TO HAVE SPRUNG FROM THE DISSATISFACTION OF THE LEAST-SKILLED HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES. THIS WAS ALSO TRUE TO SOME EXTENT IN THE SANGAMO-BARTER AND HASCO LABOR ACTIONS. IT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND, HOWEVER, THAT ANY SALARIED EMPLOYEE IN HAITI BELONGS TO A RELATIVELY PRIVILEGED SECTOR OF THE LABOR FORCE. 4. SOME GOH OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS SOME FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN, BELIEVE THAT "COMMUNIST ACTIVISTS" SUPPORTED BY CUBA ARE BEHIND THIS UPSURGE OF LABOR ACTIVITY. THIS CHARGE HAS NOT YET BEEN MADE PUBLICLY, ALTHOUGH PRESS CONDEMNATION OF THE HASCO AND FRENCH HOSPITAL INCIDENTS HAS REFERRED TO THE "ANARCHIC" NATURE OF THESE THREATENED STRIKES. EMBASSY HAS NO INDEPENDENT EVIDENCE OF CUBAN OR COMMUNIST INVOLVEMENT TO DATE, ALTHOUGH WE CANNOT EXCLUDE THE POSSIBILITY, SINCE GENERAL INCREASE IN LABOR ACTIVITY WOULD PROVIDE A GOOD COVER AND FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENT. JONES CONFIDENTIAL Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 NNN Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014 Sheryl P. Walter Declassified/Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 20 Mar 2014