8880: Clothing Assembly Industry in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Jean-Marie Florestal <sonice1953@yahoo.com>

I am wondering whether the clothing assembly industry
in Haiti is experiencing a rebirth. At Target, in
Miami last month, I was surprised to find that some of
the HANES' undershirts for sale there were assembled
in Haiti. Though the majority of the other undershirts
for sale were assembled in The Dominican Republic and
the rest of Central America, in recent years I don't
remember having seen some on the shelves assembled in
Haiti.

In the late 70s and 80s, the industry was thriving
there. While this is issue is controversial with those
who questioned the low wages paid to the assembly
workers in Haiti, I presume the poor Haitians would
rather have the low paying jobs than no jobs at all.
To my knowledge, the industry has been moribund for
most of the 1990s, with the crippling blow given
during the embargo. The question I am having is
whether there is an effort to revive the industry. If
so, are there any aspects of the current political,
social and economic environments making the resurgence
of the industry possible? And, if the assembly
industry is on the rebound, is it part of a rather
large renewed economic activity in Haiti even though
news firtering to us are suggesting the opposite?
Thus, is it possible that the economic problems in
Haiti are bottoming out?

Jean-Marie    

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