Call for Solidarity: Demand Reinstatement of Union Organizer in Haiti!

central america / caribbean | workplace struggles | appeal / petition Wednesday May 18, 2016 04:00 by Members of the Textile Factory Union Platform-Batay Ouvriye batay at batayouvriye dot org

Garment workers protest firing of organizer following May 11 mobilization

We’re calling on our friends and comrades, brothers and sisters in national and international organizations to demand the reinstatement of [union organizer] Telemarque Pierre in his post immediately.

We demand the reinstatement of our comrade, Telemarque Pierre, immediately! Why should he lose his job just because he was doing union business for demands of a collective nature? We disagree with the minimum wage of 265 Gourdes ($4.21) the ADIH employers are pushing for. We will not be intimidated nor give up in this fight. The mobilization for a minimum wage of $500 Gourdes and other demands will continue with more vigor! We will rally on Thursday May 19, 2016 to continue our mobilization in front of SONAPI and march to the National Palace.

Following the day of mobilization on May 11, 2016 that the Textile Factory Union Platform-Batay Ouvriye (PLASIT-BO) launched to demand that the government set the minimum wage at 500 Gourdes ($7.94 for an eight-hour workday) and publish an Executive Order to make it official immediately, Clifford Apaid, owner of the plant, Premium Apparel, made the decision to fire our comrade, Telemarque Pierre, General Coordinator of Apparel and Textile Workers Union (SOTA-BO) and spokesperson for PLASIT, on Saturday May 14, 2016.

The firing is an act of repression, which is not a surprise to us after we learned of the declarations of capitalist organizations such as ADIH (Haitian Industrialists Association), Better Work and USDOL (United States Department of Labor). They are united to denounce and condemn acts of violence they claim to have been committed against property and people during the day of mobilization. After these declarations of war, we knew the bosses were going to retaliate against us, workers, who are fighting to change our lives.

We denounce the repression against our comrade. We say, “an injury to one is injury to all of us.” We’re calling on our friends and comrades, brothers and sisters in national and international organizations to demand the reinstatement of Telemarque Pierre in his post immediately.

To do so, contact the companies and agencies below :

Premium Apparel (factory): premium@agacorp.com

Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST), Haiti : maffairesocial@yahoo.fr

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In addition, you can contact the following:

AGA Corporation (Premium is its subsidiary):
7209 NW 41 St., Miami, FL 33166-6711
305-592-1860

Gildan (the international clothing brand that contracts with Premium):
Jason M. Greene, Director of Supply Chain: 843-606-3750
Corporate office (Montreal): 514-735-2023; toll free 866-755-2023; info@gildan.com
Customer Service (Charleston, SC): 843-606-3600
Twitter: @GildanOnline; facebook.com/GildanOnline/

Use #RehirePierre #SolidarityForever #500Gourdes

Send statements of solidarity directly to the textile workers, and let them know of your activities: batay@batayouvriye.org

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Apre jounen mobilizasyon 11 me 2016 Platfòm Sendikal Izin Tekstil (PLASIT-BO) te lanse pou te mande gouvènman ayisyen an fikse salè mnimòm lan a 500 goud epi pibliye arete sou kesyon an touswit, Clifford Apaid, pwopriyetè izin Premium Apparel pran desizyon revoke kanmarad nou Telemarque PIERRE ki se Kòdonatè jeneral Sendika Ouvriye Tekstil ak Abiman (SOTA-BO) ak Pòtpawòl PLASIT, samdi 14 me 2016 la.

Revokasyon sa a, se yon zak reprezay ki pa siprann nou apre nou te fin pran konesans de deklarasyon Òganizasyon patwonal tankou ADIH (Asosyasyon Endistriyèl Ayisyen), Better Work ak USDOL (Depatman travay ameriken). Yo tout fè yon sèl pou denonse ak kondane zak vyolans yo di ki te fèt sou byen ak moun nan jounen mobilizasyon an. Apre kalite deklarasyon de gè sa yo, nou te konnen patwon yo ta pral reyaji kont nou menm ouvriye k ap lite pou chanje lavi nou.

N ap denonse kalite zak reprezay sa a ki fèt kont kanmarad nou an. Nou di : yon atak sou youn nan nou se yon atak sou nou tout. N ap fè apèl a tout zanmi kanmarad òganizasyon nasyonal kou entènasyonal pou mande reyentegrasyon li nan pòs travay li touswit.

Pou fè sa, nou kapab ekri konpayi Premium ak Ministè Afè sosyal ak Travay(MAST) nan adres sa yo :

Premium Apparel : premium@agacorp.com

MAST : maffairesocial@yahoo.fr