Haiti: 'rebels' used to break union at Grupo M (Levi's) factory
2004-03-06 09:30:21
by Haiti Support Group
The new union of workers at the Grupo M factory at Ouanaminthe on Haiti’s border with the Dominican Republic has been violently busted. The Grupo M management has enlisted the support of the armed insurgents, who earlier this week overthrew the Haitian government, to break the union. Please take action now to demand the re-instatement of the sacked union members.
On Monday March 1st, 2004, 34 members of the SOKOWA, the new trade union at the Grupo M-owned free trade zone at Ouanaminthe in north-east Haiti were fired by the management. The next day, as workers at the Codevi Free Trade Zone began to take action in support of the union, members of the so-called ‘rebel’ forces, who last week staged a coup d’etat against the Haitian government, arrived at the factory with guns to rough up the workers. After several workers were handcuffed and others beaten up, the workforce was compelled to resume work. Later, the ‘rebels’ revealed that they had been contacted the previous evening by the Grupo M factory management who had told them that workers were going to “make problems”.
Please take action now in support of the Sendika Ouvriye Kodevi Wanament - SOKOWA (the Ouanaminthe Codevi Workers’ Union) - who have been told to collect their final paychecks on Monday, 8th March. The main contract at the Ouanaminthe Grupo M factory is to assemble jeans for the world-famous Levi Strauss company. To support the new union at the Grupo M factory in Haiti, please write letters and emails demanding the reinstatement of the fired union members immediately.
Send to:
Fernando Capellan, CEO Grupo M SA Caribbean Industrial Park, Matanzas, Santiago, Dominican Republic email: fcapellan@grupom.com.do cc: lcruz@grupom.com.do
Michael Kobori, Director, Global Code of Conduct, Levi Strauss & Co. 1155 Battery St. San Francisco, CA 94111 USA Tel: (415) 501-1459 Fax: (415) 501-1485 email: mkobori@levi.com
cc: Haiti Support Group - email: haitisupport@gn.apc.org First of May-Batay Ouvriye union federation - email: batayouvriye@hotmail.com
http://www.newshaiti.com/index.php?mode=single&page=2&n=513((All of this is happening with the acquiscence & under the watchful, unseeing eyes of the US command down there))