Haitian sweatshop workers strike to demand $15 a day
Port-au-Prince, February 19 (RHC)-- In Haiti, labor protests continue as factory workers demand a wage increase amid worsening economic conditions and political instability. Workers are demanding a salary of $15 a day; they currently make just $5 a day.
One of the organizers of the protest told reporters: “We have earned the 1,500 gourdes we are demanding. It is not normal that the U.S. clothing retailers are earning millions while I am paid in cents. It makes no sense. We are giving our blood.”
Many North American companies source from factories in Haiti that pay exploitative wages and force people to work in sweatshop conditions. Local reports say the protesters work for U.S. brands including Gap, Walmart, Target and for Canada’s Gildan Activewear.