21934: O'Brien: RE: 21916: Esser: Re: 21880: Durban: About Labor Creation in Haiti(fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Martha O'Brien <mmcpeob@earthlink.net>

In addressing Lance Durban, Esser writes:

> While I have no knowledge of the prevailing conditions in your
> business, every single factory in Port-au-Prince that I visited, had
> workers toiling in appalling circumstances and less than happy. Sure
> they take that over starving, but people also get into activities
> such as drug dealing or prostitution to save themselves, in a vain
> attempt, from the  inherent difficulties of surviving in a market
> economy. I don't think we would like to advocate sex tourism a la
> Thailand or Opium growing such as in Afghanistan, to solve the
> problems of Haiti either...
> .

Well, I *do* have some knowledge of Mr. Durban's business, albeit from one
brief visit.  Two years ago, a small group of us visited Mr. Durban's
electronics factory and found the following:

1)  Conditions were nothing resembling "appalling"--in fact, one of the
group members stated emphatically that the conditions were better than
those that she had seen in local small factories in central Pennsylvania.
The place was very well-lit; there were fans near every work station;
workers appeared to be comfortable.

2)  On a wall was posted a list of upcoming activities planned by the
social committee and other news of interest for all employees (including
some info which appeared to be profit-sharing stats.)

3)  We saw copies of a newsletter (written in Kreyol, by the way) which
included some educational articles and other news of interest to employees.
(Sorry--I don't still have a copy of the newsletter, and I don't remember
what all was in there.)

4)  Although I have no idea whether the wage paid these employees is truly
sufficient for their needs nor do I remember what it was, I do remember
thinking at the time that it was certainly well above the statistics which
are usually given pertaining to wages in Haiti.

5)  Apparently for the Christmas party that year, RAM came and performed
for the employees--certainly a far cry from anything which my employer has
ever offered to us in terms of Christmas festivities!

I have no reason to believe that what we saw was "window-dressing" and
every reason to believe that it does represent the everyday reality in this
factory.

By the way, I am not particularly in favor of factories as a solution to
Haiti's problems, and I do realize that very often the conditions are
appalling and the profits exported; *however* there are exceptions and Mr.
Durban's enterprise is one of them.