15336: Durban: Minimum Wage in Haiti (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Lance Durban <lpdurban@yahoo.com>

In Corbett #15327 Philippe Allouard asks the status of the
minimum wage in Haiti.  Good question!  Recall President
Aristide made a widely-publicized and rather political visit to
the industrial park over a month ago to opine that the minimum
wage ought to be raised to 70 gourdes per day... drawing cheers
from assembled workers who, presumably, saw that as an
improvement.  I have heard that this was an effort to pressure
employers to raise wages, but have not heard that anything was
ever subsequently passed through the Lavalas-controlled
legislature.  Reportedly there was debate that it should be
raised to some level higher than 70 gourdes/day, but again
nothing conclusive that I have heard.

Most of the larger plants in Haiti do pay at least 70 gourdes/
day already, but it would be nice to get confirmation on what
the officially sanctioned minimum wage in Haiti is.  The head of
ADIH (Assoc of Haitian Industries), it will be recalled,
recommended against raising the minimum wage shortly before
President Aristide's visit to the industrial park, and I haven't
heard any public modification of that recommendation either.

Lance Durban