22457: anonymous: RE: 22373: Vilaire: Re: 22358: Harvey Re: 22352: Vilaire: On t he Grupo M Debacle (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

Bob,

Please post anonymously.

According to reports of delegations from the Association of Haitian
Industries (ADIH) and the Haitian government, at Kodevi, the Grupo M garment
factory in Ounaminthe has resumed normal operations and production levels
are higher than normal. Grupo M fired 250 workers on June 11, but a second
set of 500 pink slips set for June 14 was not issued.
The fired workers were from two factory sections where productivity had
fallen after Batay Ouvriye members had infiltrated them.  According to ADIH,
Batay Ouvriye won Ministry of Social Affairs recognition as a labor union in
2001, but basically failed to organize workplaces. Because of this failing
and its radical agenda, the Aristide government refused to renew Batay
Ouvriye's legal status in 2003.  Amidst the chaos of recent events, the
union obtained renewal from within the ransacked ministry in March. It
staged two wildcat strikes at Kodevi in March and April and supposedly
threatened workers who refused to go along with its tactics.
Kodevi's valid labor union, the Society of Kodevi workers of Ouanaminthe
(SOKOWA)has complained of mistreatment and worker exploitation, but it is
able to sit down and talk with Grupo M and some of its joint venture
partners. Another observer team that included a representative of the
Workers Rights Consortium (which many universities rely on to monitor and
enforce labor standards) reported on union-management tensions, but found no
evidence of flagrant abuse or mistreatment.  The International Finance
Corporation (which provided loans to Grupo M) and the World Bank have people
at the factory monitoring labor conditions and worker rights.
The lack of Haitian government presence in Ounaminthe in the form of police,
customs agents, or social affairs ministry personnel created a Hobbesian
state of nature that prevented any orderly administration of civil affairs.
People who profit from the widespread smuggling in the area will likely
resist any government attempts to rein in their activities. They may
indirectly complicate the situation in the free trade zone.