12568: Haiti: ICFTU expresses its concern (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Tttnhm@aol.com

ICFTU ONLINE...
Trade union rights in Haiti: A worsening situation... 23/7/2002

Brussels, 23 July 2002 (ICFTU online): In a letter addressed to Haitian
President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the International Trade Union Confederation
(ICFTU) expressed its profound concern at the brutal treatment of nine
people, including six trade unionists, held illegally in the National
Penitentiary. According to the ICFTU, the arrests took place totally
illegally on 27 May, following some extremely serious events in the commune
of Saint-Raphaël, in the north of the country.

This morning, several workers and union leaders from the 1er Mai/Batay
Ouvriye unions came to express their support by demonstrating in front of the
Social Affairs Ministry. They were protesting at the Ministry's irresponsible
attitude in this case. The ICFTU fully supports their action.

On 27 May 2002, some trade unionists from the Batay Ouvriye union had turned
up to support members of the Workers’ Union of Guacimal Saint-Raphaël (SOGS)
in their conflict with the management of an orange plantation. According to
the ICFTU, the police did nothing to prevent the confrontation between the
two parties to the dispute, although it had been foreseeable. This lax
approach was responsible for the deaths of two trade unionists, whose bodies
were brutally mutilated, and the injuries, some serious, to many people.

What is more, several trade unionists, together with the public transport
drivers who had driven them to the event and two journalists, were held
imprisoned in various houses to which they had been forcibly moved by the
police, ostensibly for their own protection. During these incidents, the
houses of Sintès Estime, General Secretary of the SOGS, and Miralès Saint
Fleur, a member of the union, were also set on fire.

The ICFTU went on to say in its letter to President Aristide that “a more
detailed investigation” had led it “to make a very disturbing conclusion
concerning (your) government”. The enquiry had shown that “the detained
people had been transferred from the commune of Saint-Raphaël to
Port-au-Prince totally illegally, without any respect of their rights to
legal defence”.

“We firmly denounce this unjustified continued detention of several trade
unionists. Furthermore, no medical care has been provided to the detained
people, most of whom were seriously injured during the brawl. Indeed, two of
the prisoners, Urbain Garçon, one of whose legs might be broken, and Jeremie
Dorvil, who has continually being spitting blood after receiving blows to the
chest, need emergency care”, continued Guy Ryder, ICFTU General Secretary, in
his letter to Mr. Aristide.

The ICFTU followed up its virulent condemnation of the government’s approach
in this case by calling for the immediate release of the imprisoned people
and appealing to the ILO Director-General, Juan Somavia, to intervene
personally and put pressure on the Haitian authorities in this affair.


Link to the letter sent to President Aristide, including the full list of
assassinated and imprisoned people (in French).
http://www.icftu.org/displaydocument.asp?Index=991216377&Language=FR



The ICFTU represents 157 million workers in 226 affiliated organisations in
148 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions:
http://www.global-unions.org

Contact: ICFTU Press Department on +32 2 224 0232 or +32 476 62 10 18.


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This email is forwarded as a service of the Haiti Support Group.

<A HREF="www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org">SEE THE HAITI SUPPORT GROUP WEB SITE</A>

The Haiti Support Group - solidarity with the Haitian people's struggle for
justice, participatory democracy and equitable development, since 1992.
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