Dear comrades,
The Autonomous Center of Haitian Workers (CATH), a class-based trade union organization operating in Haiti for 40 years, extends its renewed compliments for all the unconditional support provided to the Haitian trade union struggle in defense and promotion of workers’ rights.
CATH also asks you to join your affiliated organizations and friends in coming to the aid of a defenseless and oppressed people, particularly workers. To this end, CATH takes this opportunity to provide you with a brief overview of the Haitian crisis to better understand the merits of its approach.
1. The Political Situation
Since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on the night of July 7, 2021, the Republic of Haiti has been mired in an unprecedented security, political, social, and economic crisis. The first independent Black Republic has collapsed. “Liberty, equality, and fraternity”, the motto of the Republic of Haiti, are being vilified by those in power under the orders of imperialists and armed gangs. This historic turning point was predictable due to the obsolescence of governance (irresponsibility, lack of vision, laxity, and incompetence of leaders). It was the beginning of the process of destruction and deconstruction of the State of Haiti.
Governance is currently ensured by a Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) composed of nine (9) members. It was born out of a political compromise with CARICOM under the instigation of the United States of America. This governance, lacking vision and plan, established and controlled by CARICOM, a Caribbean organization that manages the interests of imperialist powers, is incapable of satisfying the wishes of the Haitian people and those of the workers. This model of governance constitutes a source of instability, plunder, corruption, and laissez-faire.
This transitional governance, lacking vision, program, or project, obsolete, irresponsible, profiteering, corrupt, and irrational, only aggravates the situation of a Republic already in agony. Moreover, the state’s meager resources are being wasted, corruption is rife in the public administration, money laundering is gaining ground within financial institutions, state terrorism is spreading throughout the country, and so on. The state is a stakeholder in the decline of the Republic of Haiti and the misery of the Haitian people living on land they have sold, which they must vacate and return to their masters. However, the Haitian people must unite to fight and expel these neo-colonizers and this barbaric system to restore a livable country for the entire Haitian nation, and for workers in particular.
Elections have not been held for five years. The political leadership has not been legally renewed. Judges’ terms have expired. Institutions are not up to their mission. Democracy has collapsed, and the dictatorship of terrorism is taking its place. The capital, Port-au-Prince, has become a lawless place. In short, it is a complete political failure.
This capitalist government is abandoning more than 50 administrative buildings, representing the symbol of the state, to armed gangs. Haiti has fallen under a vast political conspiracy orchestrated in the shadows by imperialist powers who apply two philosophical doctrines: the Monroe Doctrine, “America for the Americans,” and that of Franklin Delano Rosevelt, “We must unite the barefoot against the shoe-wearing; it’s the only way to make them unstable and dominate them.” They are making the Haitian people pay for their insolence and arrogance in being the First Independent Black Republic and land of freedom. It should be noted that the gangs were united by the United Nations Integrated Office for Haiti (BINUH) through Ms. Helen Lalime.
The Presidential Transitional Council (CPT) and the armed gangs work for the same master. They were established to deconstruct the Republic of Haiti.
2. Socioeconomic Situation
The Haitian people are dominated and exploited. He is fooled by the outrageous profiteering imposed by factory owners. The daily wage is very low: $4.50 received by factory employees for an 8-hour workday, $280 monthly for a primary school teacher, $250 monthly for a nurse, $300 monthly for a middle manager in the public administration, etc.
Workers have suffered harassment and stigmatization, their rights are systematically violated, and gender equality is not respected.
Overall, almost all businesses have relocated or closed their doors. This is leading to massive job losses, which are synonymous with unemployment and poverty. Before the assassination of President Jovenel Moise, the textile sector employed 65,000 workers, and this workforce has now fallen to 21,000. This gives an idea of the seriousness of the situation facing the working class and the Haitian population in general.
Today, with this untenable situation, CATH has 1,235 workers and managers who have been forced by gangs to abandon their homes. 85% of them were tenants who are currently living in tents in extremely cramped conditions.
The Haitian population is made up of 12.5 million people, half of whom live below the poverty line. This crisis is leading to an increase in prostitution, mortality, mental illness, delinquency, armed gang hotbeds, etc. Worse still, children aged 10 to 17 are being used as soldiers and scouts in armed gangs. More than a million people are being forced into involuntary displacement under pressure from armed gangs in Western countries within the capitalist system.
3. Security Situation
The country’s security situation is taking on a disorganized and uncontrollable character. Armed gangs have become more powerful, and the state is complicit. Thousands of Haitians are dying every day. The capital and its suburbs are in flames daily. Thousands of family homes are being destroyed, and 300,000 families are being displaced by armed gangs. Each family has an average of 5 to 7 dependents. These displaced families are scattered across shelter camps, across the provinces, on the streets and under the stars. Their access to food and drink is difficult. They find themselves without protection, without housing.
Armed gangs are destroying the small economy of the Haitian masses. The capital’s public ports and airport are closed, and those of the capitalist private sector operate timidly. Those that do operate are businesses owned by capitalists. The state is almost dysfunctional. Everything depends on the whims of the gangs.
Land transportation routes are blocked (National Routes 2, 3, 4, etc.). Only one road is functioning: the one connecting Port-au-Prince and Cap Haïtien, passing through Morne à Cabri, Mirebalais, Savanette, Thomonde, and Hinche, all the way to Cap Haïtien. The population is struggling to obtain supplies. However, gangs must be paid a toll, which they set arbitrarily and illegally. The illicit economic market is thriving, with drugs, organ trafficking, money laundering, and smuggling. The exchange rate has skyrocketed: 135 Haitian gourdes for 1 US dollar. Basic necessities are skyrocketing. In short, small businesses are virtually paralyzed.
In reality, Haiti’s subsoil contains more wealth (mines, oil, natural gas) than any other country on the planet. Hence the interest of capitalist countries in maintaining the status quo in Haiti. Stateless people are putting themselves at their service to exacerbate the crisis. A handful of people and capitalist countries are leveraging their opulence against workers and the Haitian population.
Inflation is eating into the population’s budget. Over the past five years, the toll has been very high, as the following indicators demonstrate:
- GINI Index: 0.41
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$1.693 in 2023
- Population: 12.5 million inhabitants
- Economic contraction rate: -1.9% (according to data from international institutions); GDP contraction rate: -0.4%
- HDI (Human Development Index): 0.552
- 158th out of 159 countries;
- Slowdown in investment spending;
- Budget deficit: 0.60% of GDP
- Debt: 15.2% of GDP in 2024
- Inflation rate: 29.3% in 2024;
- 36.6% of the population lives on less than $2.15 USD;
- 54,000 homes destroyed and 88,700 damaged during the August 14, 2021 earthquake in the south of the country and not yet rebuilt;
- 18,694 people shot dead by gangs, including around 100 textile workers;
- 8,863 people burned by gangs;
- 300,000 families displaced by gang violence;
- 5.4 million Haitians struggle to feed themselves;
- More than 1,000,000 displaced people, scattered throughout the country;
These figures demonstrate the poverty in Haiti.
From all the above, the Haitian crisis is dismal.
The Autonomous Central of Haitian Workers (CATH/FSM) is outraged by this shameful and disgraceful situation. On this basis, CATH calls on all class-based workers’ movements to raise awareness in their respective communities to help Haiti emerge from this quagmire.
CATH would like to ask you for further financial support to help its members and staff in difficulty. If this would be convenient for you, here are the banking details for the necessary follow-up:
- Bank Name: SOGEBANK
- Bank Address: Rte Nationale # 1, Lathan, PAP-Haïti
- Bank Swift: SOGHHTPP
- Account Name: CATH-REDD (Centrale Autonome des Travailleurs Haïtiens)
- Account No.: 2016001659
- Account Currency: $USD
Together, we stand in solidarity to support the weakest people in humanitarian crises, and all the oppressed peoples of the planet.
Sincerely yours!
For CATH/WFTU,
Louis Fignole St. CYR
General Secretary
Autonomous Center of Haitian Workers
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