No subject

articles and reports from foreign delegations documented a campaign of
repression against CTH workers carried out by paramilitary and
government forces in Port-au-Prince and the north of Haiti=2E The
unelected interim government at the time was engaged in a policy of
political repression that involved mass jailing as well as large-scale
layoffs within Haiti=27s public sector workforce=2E Chery recalls how =22=
many
of our workers lost their jobs and many others could not afford to pay
union dues=22=2E


According to Ginette Apollon=2C President of the CTH=27s National
Commission of Women Workers (CNFT)=2C during 2004-2006 they experienced
repeated arbitrary arrests as well as death squads coming to their
homes and labor offices=2E Chery had to go into hiding for days after
death squads threatened his life in front of his children=2E


In 2005 Apollon=2C and other CTH leaders=2C had been invited to
visit Venezuela by the Chavista women=27s group INAMUJER and partake in
labor talks with officials of the Latin American Central of Workers
(CLAT) and Venezuela=27s National Workers Union (UNT)=2E Apollon and oth=
ers
were briefly arrested at Haiti=27s main international airport in
Port-au-Prince as they attempted to travel to Venezuela=3B one of many
incidents as she recalls=2E


However CTH organizers explain that in recent years the
confederation has solidified its core structure=2C ejecting organizers
that were promoting divisive policies=2E By the 1990=27s the CTH=2C whic=
h
advocates a sovereign and participatory democracy=2C had split with the
US government funded-CATH because of the CATH=27s cooperation with US
state department funded labor agencies in destabilizing Haiti=27s electe=
d
government=2E


Again in the early 2000=27s CTH successfully dodged attempts by
US and Canadian government financed =22labor=22 groups who were engaged =
in
a strategy of co-opting key organizers within trade unionist ranks=2E Th=
e
CTH refused to be a part of an elite civil society coalition=2C known as=

the Group of 184 and its Coordination Syndicale Ha=EFtienne (CSH)=2E The=

CSH=2C according to Chery=2C had attempted to recruit =22one of CTH=27s =
female
organizers and list the CTH as a member in =5BDecember of=5D 2002=22 wit=
hout
their approval=2E


CTH secretaries say that one of its top concerns today is an
encroaching privatization campaign first launched by the interim
government and now supported by the current administration=2E They say
foreign multinational companies have been heavily involved in the
process but the government has failed to properly debate the issue with
the unions=2E


According to the confederation=27s assistant general secretary
Hubert Jean=2C the recent sacking of thousands of employees at TELECO=2C=

the publicly owned telephone company=2C and planned layoffs at other
civil enterprises are the first step toward a large-scale policy of
privatization advocated for by Haiti=27s President Ren=E9 Pr=E9val=2E CT=
H has
been organizing with the main labor union at TELECO known as SOETEL=2E


With high unemployment and rising costs of living=2C CTH labor
organizers say they face a mounting task but remain inspired knowing
that their =22organizing efforts could benefit generations to come=22=2E=



Visit the CTH website at HaitiLabor=2Eorg

Photos by Wadner Pierre and Sasha Kramer