Support Fired Workers in Need!

Posted October 28, 2004

Workers belonging to the union at the Codevi factories, SOKOWA, have organized a strike fund to help their brothers and sisters that have lost their livelihood. Some of these workers have been laid off for over 5 months, and need help in order to support themselves and their families. You can send a tax deductible donation to aid these workers today.  Make your check out to Campaign for Labor Rights and write SOKOWA in the memo line.  Mail your check or credit card number and expiration date to: 1247 E St., SE, Washington, DC 20003.

The situation in Haiti has steadily worsened since Hurricane Jeanne hit the island last month. Your donation to the SOKOWA members will be extremely helpful in two ways; providing necessities to families in need, as well as supporting a strong labor movement that could be key the resuscitation of Haitian democracy, which has suffered greatly since the ouster of President Aristide. Haiti desperately needs support in light of the political turmoil of this year, and the natural disaster of the tropical storm. By supporting the SOKOWA union directly, you can be sure your money will be helping Haitians in a real way.

Write a check today to support these workers in their time of struggle. In many cases, workers are pressured in negotiations due to economic concerns and their desire to get back to work right away. Your contribution can help prevent this, allowing workers to insist on their rights without worrying about the dollars and cents.

Update on the labor struggle in the Haitian Codevi Free Trade Zone:

Recently, Grupo M agreed to sit down for direct negotiations with the union organized in the Free Trade Zone, SOKOWA. The union had requested that mediators aid with the re-hiring process to ensure it was carried out in a just manner, however, in August, Grupo M began re-hiring without a formal procedure in place. Since then, Grupo M, has agreed to stop this arbitrary reinstatement process based on pressure from the union during a meeting.

Vaccination Campaign:

Due to workers' concerns about an unexpected vaccination campaign in the summer months, the Haitian Doctors' Union (l'Union Des Medecins Haitiens - UMHA) carried out an investigation of the medical procedures. They conducted interviews with workers, the doctors at the Free Trade Zone's own clinic, doctors from the Northeast Province of Haiti, both private and public, as well as local clergy, but were only able to dedicate two days to their investigations.

Their conclusions, though not as complete as they had hoped, but confirmed that there was a vaccination campaign from March to April, 2004 (though one Codevi doctor reports that there was another vaccination date in May). The claim is that it was for tetanus (using "Tetanos Toxoide" recommended by the World Health Org.) which the UMHA reports is a clear substance and doesn't need to be mixed with anything for its administration. Some workers remember being injected with a mixture of two different shots, one clear, the other milky, opaque.

The UMHA also reports that there is no record in the clinic's notebook of the vaccination detailing the date, dose, and nature of the vaccination. Workers' complaints began within a week to a month of the second round of vaccinations, and mainly concern the genital organs. The investigators of the UMHA included an appendix detailing seven severe cases, including two miscarriages, as well as twenty moderate complaints and eight minor complaints among the workers.

The UMHA report recommends that the clinic be under the control of the Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSSP) and the Social Affairs Ministry; that the MSPP investigate the vaccination campaigns and the exact nature of the products used; and that psychological assistance and long-term surveillance of the health of the workers be provided.

Background:

The workers at the Codevi Free Trade Zone in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, have had continuous problems with the owner of the factories there: Grupo M. Though the case has received international attention, Fernando Capellan, President of Grupo M, along with the International Finance Corporation (part of the World Bank), and Levi's, have been slow to react to the serious labor violations. For more background info, see http://www.campaignforlaborrights.org/alerts/2004/june20-haiti.htm.