Is It Time For Corporate Responsibility In Haiti?

Haitian people often turn to selling what they can on the streets to survive. Photo by Dolores M. Bernal, NJP

On Sunday, the Taiwan News published an AP article most people who care about Haiti should read: “Can low-paying garment industry save Haiti?” Of course, because AP has some serious issues with news sites and bloggers re-publishing their content, I cannot publish even a portion of the article here. But in a nutshell — the low-wages that Haitians receive from the few garment industries that operate in the country have been quite outrageous: $3.09 a day on average.

Living in Haiti is not cheap and that is why the $3 a day figure it’s horrific. In Port-au-Prince a gallon of gasoline is $5 a gallon on a good day, $30 in a real bad one. The cost of a soda in Haiti is almost equal to the cost of a soda in the US. By earning $3.09 a day, people in Haiti can’t even give themselves the luxury of drinking a Pepsi, much less ever afford to buy a bicycle.

From British Columbia’s The Tyee newspaper (Article: “In Haiti, like BC, Business Fights Rise in Minimum Wage“):

For a minimum-wage earner living across town from the industrial park, which is the heart of Port-au-Prince’s textile industry, one day’s work would get you to and from work, with enough money left over for two loaves of bread and a bucket of water.

“Two loaves of bread and a bucket of water,” yet some people would say that a crappy job is better than no job, but for a struggling country like Haiti, low-wages such as this make it impossible for working people (close to 95% of Haitians are working poor) to ever afford anything, period. Without a raise on the minimum wage, Haitians will stay living in tent cities and living in poverty while the only ones actually benefiting are the companies that enjoy large pools of cheap labor.

PAID SLAVERY

It’s my honest opinion that sweatshop labor is paid slavery and unfortunately Haitians have been victims of this for many years. Even worse is the fact that these workers are not only exploited, but suffer abuse and harassment at the workplace. So, if you were wondering why Haiti is such a poor country — the poorest in the Western Hemisphere — it’s because the people there are so desperate that they will do anything for almost nothing. If $3.09 a day can feed your family one meal a day, then they will do that job.

During my stay in Haiti I often wondered if there may be some sick, sinister plan to keep the country always on the brink of starvation so that the people there will always be desperate enough to work for pennies. It’s “cheap-labor-paradise” for any greedy corporation and the Haitian and US government simply turn a blind eye to the situation. This is why the AP article I referred to in the first paragraph of this article is important, because it poses a key question no one has been asking: is it time to raise the Haitian minimum wage and, is it time for manufacturing companies to rethink how much they pay their workers there?

It’s essential to also point out that the economy in Haiti is also mostly in the service sector. Tourism is one of reasons why the country is still alive. But those service jobs too, at hotels, resorts, restaurants must also pay their workers a wage that can sustain their families and since most employers abide by the minimum wage laws of Haiti, the ball is on Preval’s government to do what’s fair for his people.

How much commitment can we expect from corporate America to see Haiti rebuilt if they don’t do the right thing and offer jobs that can pay people enough to rebuild their homes? Perhaps these two American companies can start doing this: Hanes and New Balance, the two have manufacturing plants in Haiti.

According to the State Department, in 2006 Congress passed legislation that facilitates and eases trade of textiles and apparel between the US and Haiti: The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act (HOPE). Unfortunately, investors have been afraid of doing business in Haiti due to instability — crime, kidnappings, etc. The irony is that if people were paid living wages they wouldn’t resort to crime to begin with.

SUSTAINABILITY NOT CHARITY

It’s unsustainable to continue giving aid to Haiti without transforming its economy into a more fair system that benefits the workers and the investors. Haitians are ready to work; most of them have been unemployed for years, but opportunities for employment must come with wages that can allow families to get out of such dire poverty.

It’s time that the United Nations and the US start looking into ways to help Haiti become self-sustainable so that it is doesn’t become a burden to the world. Yes, it sounds harsh, but it’s the sad reality. Solutions are needed and as the UN conference on Haiti in March approaches, this is something that needs to be on the table: a fair economy for the people of Haiti.

For another great article on the history and controversy over the minimum wage in Haiti, click here.

Dolores M. Bernal maintains “Eye On Haiti” a new blog by the NewsJunkiePost.com that offers continued coverage on the rebuilding and relief efforts in Haiti. Follow Dolores on Twitter, click here.

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