Haitian Police Kill Journalist Amid Ongoing Protests
By Democracy Now
HAVANA TIMES – In Haiti, one journalist was killed and others injured after police opened fire on a demonstration of factory workers in Port-au-Prince demanding living wages. On Monday, Haiti’s government announced a minimum wage increase of up to 54% following weeks of demonstrations and amid soaring inflation. But striking garment workers say that even with the pay raise, their salary is still just half, or less, of the roughly $15 per day they are demanding.
Similien Miguelson: “Once again, we’ve taken to the streets to protest the wage adjustment of $1.70, because we do not accept it. In the letters we’ve sent to Prime Minister Ariel Henry, we have demanded $14 and social benefits. We’ve been to four meetings without reaching a solution.”
Garment workers in Haiti make clothes in sweatshop conditions for major U.S. brands, including Gap, Walmart and Target, and for Canada’s Gildan Activewear.