[Haiti] Minimum wage increases of up to 54% after garment worker protests

On February 21, Haiti's government increased the country’s minimum wage by as much as 54 per cent, following weeks of demonstrations by garment workers who say their wages are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living, CNN Business reports.

The office of Prime Minister Ariel Henry posted a sliding scale of wage increases to Twitter that vary by economic activity, with the greatest increase going to workers in sectors such as the electricity and telecommunications industries.

Employees in the clothing manufacturing sector - that exports finished products to US retailers - received a 37 per cent increase. The rise takes their wages to just under $7.50 per day, compared with the $15 per day that union leaders had demanded.

Haiti has promoted itself as a centre for clothing manufacturing for decades thanks to low wages and its proximity to US markets.

Over the course of the years, workers have complained that their pay is too low to cover basic goods, which are often more expensive than in other countries due to weak infrastructure and gang violence.

In November 2021, a group of US members of Congress said they were asking the heads of 62 American companies that import garments from Haiti for information on "protections in place for workers employed by their companies and suppliers."

Haitian officials have in the past said that increasing wages too steeply would leave the garment industries at risk of losing their competitive edge against other countries such as the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Source: CNN Business

(Link and quote via original reporting)

On February 21, Haiti's government increased the country’s minimum wage by as much as 54 per cent, following weeks of demonstrations by garment workers who say their wages are not enough to keep up with the rising cost of living, CNN Business reports.

The office of Prime Minister Ariel Henry posted a sliding scale of wage increases to Twitter that vary by economic activity, with the greatest increase going to workers in sectors such as the electricity and telecommunications industries.

Employees in the clothing manufacturing sector - that exports finished products to US retailers - received a 37 per cent increase. The rise takes their wages to just under $7.50 per day, compared with the $15 per day that union leaders had demanded.

Haiti has promoted itself as a centre for clothing manufacturing for decades thanks to low wages and its proximity to US markets.

Over the course of the years, workers have complained that their pay is too low to cover basic goods, which are often more expensive than in other countries due to weak infrastructure and gang violence.

In November 2021, a group of US members of Congress said they were asking the heads of 62 American companies that import garments from Haiti for information on "protections in place for workers employed by their companies and suppliers."

Haitian officials have in the past said that increasing wages too steeply would leave the garment industries at risk of losing their competitive edge against other countries such as the neighbouring Dominican Republic.

Source: CNN Business

(Link and quote via original reporting)