Editor’s note: The following article from Haiti is printed, with minor editing, with the permission of Batay Ouvriye, a federation of unions, workers’ committees, and grassroots community groups that are fighting against conditions in Haiti today. The full article can be found on its website, BatayOuvriye.org .

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On all radio stations, in all the newspapers, on all TV channels, and in the context of the "development" that the imperialists, the bourgeoisie and their reactionary state have in store for the Haitian workers, the latest word is the HOPE (the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement) Act of 2006.

On Dec. 16, 2006, the U.S. Congress voted into law the HOPE Act, designed to regulate some of the commercial exchange between Haiti and the U.S. This law opens the doors for the two countries to be able to realize "free" commercial exchange without any import tariffs or duties, or any obstacle to the free circulation of goods. The goods that the Act refers to are mainly textile products from the maquiladoras. Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis completed a trip to Washington last April to work out the details of the implementation of the new law.

What most people don’t know about are the various compromises and concessions made by the Haitian government. First, the government gave up all rights of control over North American products imported into the country, that is, what they are and which ones will be allowed in. Nor can the government place any demand on multinational capital, such as control over the prices of goods being sold in the country. Therefore, the Minister of Commerce and Industry has no control over any prices. Finally, the government agreed to actively pursue the privatization of public services.

STRUGGLE AGAINST "FREE" TRADE

In the context of the struggle against the unbridled implementation of the Free Trade Agreement of Central America and Dominican Republic (TLCAC-RD) by the bourgeoisie of the different countries of Central America, the union confederations of these countries have been coordinating their actions and have succeeded in forcing the inclusion of some considerations, albeit of a general character, regarding the workers’ rights in the factories.

In the Ouanaminthe Free Trade Zone (FTZ), the workers have succeeded, with their struggle, in forcing the bosses of the Grupo M to accept the principle of collective bargaining, so that even the World Bank had to attach a series of regulations and conditions to its loans to the capitalists of the FTZs regarding respect for the rights of the workers, including the right to organize and the right to collective bargaining.

Of course, HOPE mentions the rights of workers and the clearly established international laws. But we must be clear on this: there has been absolutely no mechanism put in place to insure that these rights and these labor protection laws are respected or applied. The Labor Code is the only enforcement mechanism that exists at the national level. However, in practice, the Code is being used to handcuff the workers.

Let us remember that the Haitian bourgeoisie, currently acting as the intermediate agent in the implementation of HOPE, has the sadly infamous reputation of being the worst bourgeoisie in the world, in the very words of the American capitalists who call these corrupt lackeys "the most repugnant elite in the world."

To such bourgeoisie, workers’ rights are something they couldn’t care less about! Their very existence, as a class, is based on trampling under foot the workers’ rights. That’s why it’s no surprise that they would make a vague and general mention of these rights: it’s a convenient façade that will help them fool the people, knowing very well that they have no intentions whatsoever of making good on it.

The Haitian government doesn’t make the least effort to protect the Haitian workers and to define the mechanisms necessary to implement the generally-mentioned workers’ rights. HOPE doesn’t have any legal appendages regarding the issue of workers’ rights (this would scare away potential investors). What’s worse, not even a mention is made of the current repressive Labor Code, which has been in existence since the time of the Dubalier dictatorship.

The Haitian state has never lifted a finger to protect, or demand respect for, the rights of Haitian migrant workers in the Dominican Republic, as if this were not the responsibility of the Haitian government--while they’re being victimized, even burned alive, without even a cry of protest, let alone any action, from this shameless government. All this shows that what we have in front of us is an anti-people, anti-worker state and government.

BATAY OUVRIYE: OUR POSITION

Inevitably, as they’ve done before, during the first workers’ struggles in the Ouanaminthe FTZ, the reactionaries will cry: "Batay Ouvriye is opposed to development!" "Batay Ouvriye is opposed to the creation of jobs! They want the country to go bankrupt!"

We have already exposed all these lies. As always, we start from the class interests of the workers, of the working class. These interests are what guided us in our successful struggle for the reintegration of the workers who were fired from their posts in the FTZ (is this being opposed to the creation of jobs for the workers?). It is this same struggle for workers’ rights that forced the textile multinationals to reopen their closed factories in the FTZ (is this being opposed to the creation of jobs for the workers?). And it is this same struggle that has expanded these rights to other countries in the world where the World Bank gives out business loans to open factories (by forcing them to attach conditions that link these loans to social responsibility and sustained development).

We, members of Batay Ouvriye, defend the right to work for all workers. But at the same time, we also resolutely defend all workers’ rights in all factories--all their rights, conquered and to be conquered, on the basis of the struggle of these workers themselves.

Only the interests of the workers correspond to the global interests of our nation. The interests of the antinational bourgeoisie have nothing in common with the global interests of our nation. Not even a minimum restructuring, not even a minimum improvement, except for their own class.

Today, the general context of the implementation of HOPE will lead to the total destruction of our collective identity. It is precisely for this reason that we clearly denounce and reject the HOPE Act, along with all the politicians who try to mystify us in order to be able to implement it in the country.

Today, Haiti finds itself at a dangerous crossroads (in the full sense of the word) where the ruling classes want to transform the country into a huge coffin for the population, where the imperialists have already planned the time necessary to control the country, and are taking measures in that respect.

The workers, the small peasants, all working people and the popular masses in general are confronting these enemies on a daily basis, in their own existence, in their struggles against exploitation and domination, for their own demands. All progressive people must be conscious that what awaits us is sure death if we do not wage a massive struggle against the blood-sucking plan of the maquiladora industry that pretends to make us believe that they are here to help Haiti when, in fact, what they bring to the people is permanent degradation, conflict, misery and death.

The plan of the bourgeoisie is to exploit us and extract the maximum profit from our sweat and blood. But we know that we, the workers, when we organize and struggle, we will win, despite all the sacrifices. Victory belongs to the workers who fight for their own interests. Victory belongs to the people in struggle.

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