 Urgent
action to support Haitian garment workers
8 june 2004,
Dear Friends,
Please take action today in support of workers at the Codevi
FTZ in Haiti. These workers, who produce garments for Levi Strauss,
have had a serious ongoing labor dispute with factory management
and though an agreement was reached in April, they are presently
confronted with severe violence. At this moment, following a one
day strike yesterday, June 8, workers are locked-out and urgently
need your support.
Do not tell me i didn't ever work at
the factory!
Codevi-workers holding up their graduation certificates |
Anne Rose Orange, one of the union
committee members. |
SUMMARY
After a representative of the SOKOWA union was fired and brutally
beaten up in February 2004, factory workers at the Codevi Free
Trade Zone in Ouanaminthe stopped working in protest. The conflict
worsened in early March when 33 trade union members were attacked
and illegally dismissed from the factory. Workers at the factory
were reportedly attacked several times by management-hired rebel
thugs and by the Dominican army. Following an international campaign
in support of the workers, negotiations in April lead to an agreement
between management and the workers. In mid-May all workers were
back to work but still the SOKOWA union had not been legally recognized
by the Haitian government. A breach of the agreement led to a
one-hour warning strike on Thursday, June 4 when all workers stopped
work. The following day, the head of Grupo M arrived at the plant
to tell workers that the plant would probably shut down. In the
afternoon, management called in the Dominican Army to expel workers
from the free trade zone, after another dispute had developed
after management forcibly removed the t-shirts and ID badges of
a group of women. Haitian death squad members have reportedly
been circulating in Ouanaminthe. A full day of strike took place
on Monday June 7. Workers agreed to return to work on Tuesday
June 8 despite the continuing presence of the Dominican Army on-site,
because management had agreed to negotiate with the union. When
workers showed up to work at 5:30am, however, they found that
they were locked-out.
This factory was set up with financing from The International
Finance Corporation (IFC) a member of the World Bank Group that
was conditional upon respect for trade union rights!
Please take action today to demand that:
-
the lock-out ends;
-
that the Dominican Army Forces are withdrawn immediately
and permanently from the Codevi FTZ;
-
that all violence against workers ceases and all management
personnel found to have committed a violent act against a
worker is disciplined;
-
that Grupo M negotiates in good faith with SOKOWA and Bataye
Ouvriye (an association of unions, committees, and workers
from the industrial, agricultural, and informal economy in
Haiti that has been supporting the union in this case) and
ceases to threaten closure;
-
that the IFC and Levi’s demand that the Haitian government
give SOKOWA its legal registration, as required by law; and
that Levi’s Strauss does not cut and run.
Please see the action request below.
For more information on this case, please see the chronology
of events below; for additional details, please contact Batay
Ouvriye
(e-mail: batay at batayouvriye.org).
BACKGROUND ON UNION-BUSTING AT THE CODEVI FTZ
Sources: Campaign for Labor Rights, Batay Ouvriye, and the
Haiti Support Group, UK
- On Feb. 16th, the new trade union handed management a letter
in which they informed them of the union's existence and requested
a meeting to discuss factory matters. On the same day, Limbert
Cruz, the Codevi Free Trade Zone Director, answered the letter,
saying that management's doors were always open for the workers
organization, and their agreement to meet with the union at any
convenient date and place. (The union would meet later concerning
this letter and prepare an answer Feb. 26th, suggesting March
1st for this meeting)
- On Wednesday, February 25th, a few workers were informally
discussing things with members of management (Jean Renaud, Luis
and Jean Philippe) when, following a complaint by one of the unionists,
Ariel Jerome, the latter was informed that he was fired. Protesting,
he was violently beaten up with rifle butts and forced to give
up his work badge.
- Thursday, Feb. 26th, all of the factory workers stopped working
in protest, demanding Ariel Jerome's re-hiring at work, medical
treatment, as well as the firing of the two main management persons
responsible: Jean Renaud and Gerard Borgella. Limbert Cruz came
out to talk to them and agreed to cancel the firing and take care
of the abused worker's health. Indeed, Jerome was given his badge
back and sent to the health center for tests and medication. Cruz,
however, added that he needed to consult about the issue of the
two managers.
- No response to the question of the two managers was forthcoming.
Quite the contrary, on Monday morning (March 1st), Jean Renaud
passed throughout the factory, line by line, informing the workers
that Levi Strauss was withdrawing its orders, because, amongst
other reasons, the workers' work-stoppages meant that the business
was suffering and consequently they needed to get rid of workers.
Rumor had it that he said before losing his job, he would make
many workers lose their jobs. Monday afternoon, Renaud called
all of the union members and informed them they were fired. Dominican
military (Ouanaminthe is on the border between Haiti and the Dominican
Republic) pointed their weapons at the workers and seized their
badges. Several were roughed up. All in all, 34 were fired, all
union members. The workers resolved to stop working on Tuesday,
in protest.
- On Monday March 2nd, 2004, 34 members of the trade union SOKOWA
(Sendika Ouvriye Kodevi Wanament - Ouanaminthe Codevi Workers'
Union) in the Codevi Free Trade Zone in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, were
brutalized and illegally fired by the company's management. These
firings were accompanied by many threats at gunpoint, as well
as physical abuse. Since then an agreement has been reached about
the reinstatement of all fired workers and a team of observers
has been present at the factory for a month. Last week the situation
worsened considerably when management called in the Dominican
Army in response to a one hour warning strike and threatened the
workers with plant closure.
- On Tuesday, March 3rd, all of the workers were mobilized to
protest the firings. All of a sudden, members of the rebel army
at Ouanaminthe arrived, with guns, to rough up the workers. Several
workers were handcuffed. After much mistreatment and threats,
they were forced to resume work. Later, the rebels revealed that
they had been contacted the previous evening by factory management
who informed them that the workers were going to make problems
at work the next day. Management even gave them a list of union
members that they were to get rid of.
Since then: Levi Strauss investigated the matter and to date
has NOT withdrawn their orders from the factory, contrary to factory
management statements. Batay Ouvriye (Workers’ Fight) reported
that several meetings between the different parties linked to
the case have taken place and that Grupo M reportedly agreed to
send letters to the fired workers indicating that they could begin
work again.
- On April 13, negotiations took place which included representatives
from SOKOWA, Batay Ouvriye, along with a tripartite delegation
of the Social Affairs Labor Ministry, the Labor Sector, and the
Association of Haitian Industrialists. They met with workers from
the Codevi FTZ, the World Bank, and Levi Strauss. The meeting
obtained the following concessions from the management: reinstatement
of all the workers in the conflict, payment of medical services
of the worker who had been most severely beaten, payment for the
time they spent without work according to the present minimum
salary, recognition of union rights within the factory and, finally,
immediate negotiations with a union delegation to discuss the
workers’ general demands. At the same time there have been
explicit threats against the members of Batay Ouvriye and other
support groups who have worked to bring about these achievements.
- In May a group of observers has been working inside Codevi.
The team comprised of a Colombian nun from the congregation of
St. John the Evangelist, who has been based in Quanaminthe for
the past four years. The other two were a retired Dominican customs
employee with some cross-border community service experience,
and a local economist. Both of the latter had been nominated by
Grupo M.
Since observation begun, Ariel Jerome has been fired again and
there were outstanding issues regarding back-pay and minimum wage
received during the time some reinstated workers were waiting
for jobs. By mid-May all workers were back to work but still the
SOKOWA union had not been legally recognized by the Haitian government.
- By the beginning of June things have worsened. On Tuesday,
2 June Grupo M management failed to meet with the union as planned.
Workers responded with a one hour warning strike the following
Thursday and all workers stopped work. A full day of strike took
place on Monday June 7. The Dominican Army was used against workers
in a dispute on Friday June 4. The same day the head of Grupo
M arrived at the plant to tell workers that the plant will probably
shut down. At the same time Haitian death squat members have reportedly
been circulating in Quanaminthe. As stated above, the workers
are now locked-out of their workplace.
Workers in front of Codevi |
ACTION
REQUEST
Please first read the updates
on this apeal!
1. Write to Grupo M
2. Write to the factory’s client – Levi Strauss
3. Contact the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation
4. Write to the Haitian government
1. Write to Grupo M
Grupo M owns the Codevi Ouanaminthe factory.
This Dominican Republic-based company, with a poor track record
in terms of respecting workers’ rights, is one of the largest
clothing producers in the Caribbean/Central America region. In
January 2004 they opened this, their first factory in this new
free trade zone, with the help of a US$20 million loan from the
World Bank’s IFC.
Tell Grupo M that they must end the lock-out
and make an immediate end to the violence used against workers;
that Dominican Army Forces are withdrawn immediately and permanently
from the Codevi FTZ; that all management personnel found to have
committed a violent act against a worker is disciplined; to negotiate
in good faith with SOKOWA and Bataye Ouvriye and to cease to threaten
closure, Furthermore they should respect workers’ right to
organize a union and provide medical attention for those workers
who were beaten up. Tell them that their anti-union activities
and violent management tactics must come to an end. Remind them
of their obligation to respect workers’ rights under Haitian
law, the code of conduct of their supplier Levi Strauss, and as
part of the conditions of their loan from the IFC. Inform them
that you are also contacting Levi Strauss and the IFC to voice
your concerns in this matter.
Please take action today.
Fernando Capellan
Ouanaminthe factory general director
e-mail: fcapellan@grupom.com.do
Limbert Cruz
Grupo M CEO
e-mail: lcruz@grupom.com.do
2. Write to the factory’s client
– Levi Strauss
Thank Levi Strauss for the attention they
have given this matter so far, but inform them that the Codevi
Ouanaminthe workers have been confronted with violence again.
Ask Levi Strauss to insist that their contractor
comply with internationally-recognized workers' rights, most especially
the right to organize a union and bargain collectively. Request
that they continue to pressure Grupo M to end the lock-out, immediately
make sure that Dominican Army Forces are withdrawn from the Codevi
FTZ; that all violence against workers ceases and all management
personnel found to have committed a violent act against a worker
is disciplined; that Grupo M negotiates in good faith with SOKOWA
and Bataye Ouvriye and ceases to threaten closure. Furthermore
Levi’s should demand that the Haitian government give SOKOWA
its legal registration, as required by law. Remind them that they
have a responsibility to work with their supplier to resolve this
matter in a way that brings them into compliance with standards
of freedom of association; by no means should they cut their orders
with the factory in order to dodge this responsibility.
Contact information:
Michael Kobori
Director, Global Code of Conduct
Levi Strauss & Co.
1155 Battery St.
San Francisco, CA 94111
Tel: (415)501-1459
Fax: (415)501-1485
e-mail: mkobori@levi.com
Cc: Miriam Rodriguez, Regional Compliance
Manager
e-mail: Mrodriguez@levi.com
3. Contact the World Bank’s International
Finance Corporation
The World Bank provided financing to Grupo
M to start up this factory and set conditions regarding respect
for workers rights. These conditions were set as a result of investigations
launched by the IFC into violations of workers’ rights by
Grupo M in its other factories in the Dominican Republic. The
IFC had carried out the investigation after the ICFTU and the
International Textile, Garment, and Leather Workers’ Federation,
released video evidence and documentation on anti-union actions
by Grupo M, including threats, discrimination and violence against
workers seeking to organise unions. The Haiti Support Group, in
the UK, launched an international campaign backing the ICFTU calls
for the IFC to require that Grupo M cease violating workers’
rights and respect the core labour standards of the International
Labour Organisation before awarding the loan.
Remind the World Bank that their International
Finance Corporation (IFC) loan granted to Grupo M to open this
factory included the obligation to respect freedom of association
and the right to collective bargaining. Point out that the recent
actions by Grupo M in Ouanaminthe are in violation of the loan
agreement. Thank the IFC for their investigations into this matter
so far, but remind them that their effort is still needed to reach
a sustainable solution to the labor dispute at Codevi. Request
that they make clear to Grupo M management that they must end
the lock-out, that the Dominican Army Forces have to be withdrawn
immediately and permanently from the Codevi FTZ; that all violence
against workers ceases and all management personnel found to have
committed a violent act against a worker is disciplined and that
Grupo M negotiates in good faith with SOKOWA and Bataye Ouvrie
and ceases to threaten closure. Furthermore, the IFC should demand
from the Haitian government that it gives SOKOWA its legal registration,
as required by law and ensures that workers are able to exercise
their rights to freedom of association and bargain collectively.
Contact information:
The World Bank's International Finance
Corporation
Mark Constantine
E-mail: mconstantine@ifc.org
And
E-mail: bmcnamara@ifc.org
4. Write to the Haitian government
Write to the Haitian government to express
your concern about the situation at the Codevi Free Trade Zone.
Urge the government to make sure that Dominican Army Forces are
withdrawn immediately and permanently from the Codevi FTZ and
to make sure that all violence against workers ceases and all
management personnel found to have committed a violent act against
a worker is disciplined. Furthermore urge the Haitian government
to give SOKOWA its legal registration, as required by law and
ensure that workers are able to exercise their rights to freedom
of association and bargain collectively.
Contact information:
Minister of Social Affairs and Labor
Pierre Calixte
#32 rue de l’Enterrement
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Prime Minister
M. Gerard Latortue
Beureau de las Primature, Villa d’Accueil
Musseau, Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Please send copies of your letters and any responses you receive
to Batay Ouvriye , e-mail: batay (at) batayouvriye.org
For more information on Batay Ouvriye, please see their website:
http://www.batayouvriye.org
For more information on the Haiti Support Group, please see their
website:
http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org
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