13861: Batay Ouvriye: Re: 13790: Kathy Grey re: 13744: Hermantin: Political Danger Is Real (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Batay Ouvriye <batayouvriye@hotmail.com>

On Nov. 26th, Kathy Grey wrote "Over and over the United States is asked to
absorb anyone and everyone who is unhappy in Haiti, for any reason!  If you
are part of a group of agricultural workers in Haitian orange groves
unionizing to get proper working conditions out of Remy-Martin or whoever,
and things get a little rough - BINGO!You think you should get political
asylum, let's get on a boat! ". Putting aside the author's snide, sneering
tone (which we prefer not to speculate as to the cause of),  Batay Ouvriye
is compelled to answer this slander as it clearly alludes to the Sendika
Ouvriye Gwasimal Senrafayèl (S.O.G.S.),  a member of the May First Batay
Ouvriye Union Federation, the entirety of which has NEVER sought political
asylum in the United States (nor do we wish to).

Certainly, in writing this, the author recalls an exchange during mid-May
2002 in which we upheld the fact of continued repression in Haiti during the
present regime as a motivating factor for continued emigration.
Specifically, on May 25th, we wrote: "The question of Haitian refugees has
been brought to our attention. It is our experience that Haitian workers are
every bit as much persecuted today as during the Duvalier era. As we speak,
hundreds of workers from the Guacimal/St Raphael area are in hiding, given
their persecution by police and government officials at the beck and call of
capitalist interests (Cointreau of France, Novella/Zephir bourgeois of
Cap-Haitian, local landlords). Their potential demands of asylum are as
legitimate as those of the Coup or duvalierist times. We could add cases
such as those of the workers arbitrarily fired and persecuted at the World
Food Program, the Novella Coffee Export, Laroche Cement Block, etc... etc...
All seeked arbitration in vain whether at the Bureau of Social Affairs or in
Tribunals. Their voices have been stifled on national radio stations and in
the press... All are today faced with grim misery and utter disillusionment.
Stating that there is no political persecution in Haiti today is delusive in
the face of the numerous Haitian workers today obliged to lay in hiding due
to direct and indirect political persecution."

Three days later, on May 28th, 2002, the SOGS union, in an attempt to resume
the tradition of inter-season land tilling, was attacked by a horde
coordinated by the Lavalas mayor, Adonija Sévère. Two union members were
killed, dismembered and buried in a hastily dug hole. Eleven other persons
were arrested, amongst them two journalists, taken to jail in Grande Rivière
du Nord and a few days later illegally taken by helicopter to Port-au-Prince
for emprisonement. After much mobilizing, the journalists were first
released on June 8th and, after more mobilization, nine other members too
(August 20th). To date, the two principal union organizers, Urbain Garçon
and Jeremie Dorvil, remain in prison without judgement, this six months
after the events and with the former in critical medical condition. These
heights of repression have been denounced recently by the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions (IFCTU - see Arthur's Post 13822).

If anything, these recent developments prove quite the opposite of Grey's
point. Indeed, the SOGS is a victim of extreme deliberate repression, due to
the fact that they are simply demanding that the bosses respect the law.
Decades ago, in exchange for their lands, the Cointreau company had promised
them  irrigation, schooling, roads... and especially guarantee of employment
on the plantation as well as tilling of the land between crops. This
agreement was violated when the workers unionized, the company refusing to
even meet with the union and denying the members work and land use between
harvests. The Guacimal administrators, the Zephir brothers, inheritors of
Jacques Novella, French millionaire of Cap Haitian, are as powerful now as
during the Duvalier regime.

Emigration has never been the choice of our movement; quite the contrary,
the name of our organization "Batay Ouvriye" means to fight and this implies
remaining in the field of fight. Fight... even against all odds, as often it
appears. Our movement is constantly exhausting all legal recourse, our
financial reserves are totally drained in these unending legal practices, as
well as the high cost engaged in the upkeep of our jailed members and their
families (for instance, a few hundreds of dollars have had to be allocated
to simply securing mattresses in the jail!). Yet we are persuaded that this
is the direction towards real change in Haiti, with a renewed consciousness
of the worker movement.

In the face of all these difficulties, we are consequently baffled by Grey's
gratuitious anti-union stab. Especially as we had received, in 1999, the cc
of a letter she had addressed to Mr. Maxime Coury, CEO of Grand Marnier,
during the bitter battle opposing the Sendika Ouvriye Marnier-Lapostolle, in
the Cap-Haitian region (a successfull battle, that company having chosen to
dialogue with the union and answer to their demands). At that time, she
stated: "I am writing to express my concern about the apparent lack of
respect for workers' rights, and the disregard for Haitian labour laws... I
have no doubt that the working conditions and rate of pay for workers at the
plantation are unacceptable... I do enjoy an occasional sip of Grand
Marnier, and I give bottles of it to friends and clients at Christmas - but
I will NOT be doing so this year, or ever again, until the workers at the
plantation are satisfied", adding that in the absence of negociations, "I
intend to assist the union and supporting organizations by posting
information on this issue on all three of my websites, on Newsgroups, email
lists, and so on".

Quite a reversal!