Business & Finance

Employers in the Haitian garment manufacturing industry are exploiting their workers as a dirt-cheap form of labor, as well as forcing them to work under unsafe conditions in violation of laws governing the industry. Garment workers are drastically underpaid, on average 32% less than minimum wage requirements. The standard pay rate is $4.54 per eight-hour shift. If they make their quota for the day they receive $6.81. The quotas are set are unrealistically high, the better for employers to avoid paying an extra $2.27 per day.

Henri-Claude Muller-Poitevien, who heads the government of Haiti's Garment Sector Commission (GSC), has an explanation why garment workers can't meet the daily quota. He says they are less able, and need practice to work faster and more competently.

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Here is something that might be of value to people interested in accessing funding for a Haiti project. The businesses can have access to loans from various financial institutions in Haiti, thanks to a USD 26-million housing finance under the name "REBATI Fund".

My job is to bring these information to you. However, if you are interested, you need to make the proper connections to learn more about it.

According to information received, three major organizations got together to offer this opportunity: The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

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A report from the Workers' Rights Consortium, the WRC, has shamed Canadian garment company, Gildan Activewear into committing to pay each laborer at their Haitian based factories at least the $7.22 prescribed by the Caribbean country as the minimum wage to be earned by any worker.

The Montreal-based company has suffered weeks of bad pressed following reports by the WRC that its production of college-logo apparel was being made on the backs of people who sometimes were not paid enough to provide themselves with food.

Labeled, 'Stealing from the Poor: Wage Theft in the Haitian Apparel Industry,' the report documented interviews with workers from 5 of the 24 factories in the country. They found and revealed that the average worker was paid a wage that was 32% less than what is stipulated by law. According to the report, these workers were often locked in at the facilities until all work was completed and were without access to health care, were under-fed and had debts that couldn't possibly be met as an average of seven weeks' worth of pay was being siphoned away from them each year.

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Do you think that the only way to be good to people is to give, give and give? That is not necessarily true in all cases. Sometimes you can both give and receive at the same time and still be good to people.

Would you believe that someone had managed to give some, receive some and somehow ended up doing a lot more good than otherwise?

This is actually the case of Thread, a recycling company that purchases tons of plastic recycling materials to spin into fabrics that are in turn sold to manufacturers hoping to create environmentally friendly products and at the same time empowering the people of Haiti.

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Haiti's Renewal Alliance (HRA) is going to organize its 5th Annual Haiti Business, Investment Expo & Conference in Washington, DC on June 6 and 7, 2014 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, USA. Before this annual meet, the HRA has arranged an opening meet at Karibe Convention Center, Port au Prince on January 17 & 18, 2014 with an object to connect potential investors with Haitian entrepreneurs and government leaders so that they may have a positive impact on Haiti. This is a timely approach by HRA to include interested business people and investors from other Caribbean countries.

It is expected that if this effort can successfully promote and sustain development as anticipated, it will boost healthy competitiveness in the entire Caribbean region. The upcoming expo at Washington, DC on June 6 and 7, 2014 will focus mainly on finding ways to connect Caribbean region with global development and solving complex issues concerning investment growth, tourism, infrastructure, energy, technology and agriculture. The event will facilitate unique access, foster collaboration and partnerships, brokering deals, broaden the reach and encourage diaspora engagement through best practices.

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The government of Haiti (GOH) has allocated funding to General Administration of Customs (AGD) for recruitment of patrol agents. The first class of 125 graduated in June 2013. The graduation ceremony was held at Royal Oasis Hotel with Prime Minister Lamothe; Economy and Finance Minister Laleau, and AGD Director Jean-Baptiste present. Lamothe encouraged the graduates to represent GOH with ". . . patriotism and professionalism" as they carry out their duties.

GOH recognizes they must provide support to the AGD to defeat smuggling and bring in more customs revenue. Lamothe said the patrol agents are to serve two purposes: one, protect the borders from smuggling activities, and, two, reassert the sovereignty of GOH.

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Food aid has been delivered to Haiti for the past 60 years, in two decades 1.5 million tons. Seven million people out of a population of 10 million suffer from hunger, and 1.5 million suffer acute chronic malnutrition. Infrastructure weaknesses, waste, and "the perverse effects" concerning food aid drive the crisis.

The government of Haiti (GOH) and outside donors pay no attention to the agricultural sector, pertaining to its growth and sustainability. The industry accounts for one-quarter of gross domestic product (GDP), but that figure has dropped. For many decades, scant investment from GOH and outside donors has occurred. Conversely, food-aid funding outpaces agricultural funding by more than 50%.

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President Martelly met with 54 business associations to seek solutions to informal sector challenges. The central need for small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) is for credit at favorable interest rates.
Also present were ministers of Women's Affairs, Economy and Finance, and Crop Production, along with custom officials and Central Bank's CEO.

The Haiti informal sector is a non-aggregated group, and they account for 80% of the workforce. Underdeveloped SMEs have been ignored until the 2010 earthquake forced the issue of growing the economy.

The government of Haiti (GOH) has developed an agenda for SMEs, some of which includes:

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The Dominican Republic officials received a proposal from the Haitian officials that the markets which appear on the Haiti-Dominican border twice every week be cut down to once a week. This information was revealed by Luis Rodriguez on Tuesday July 2, 2013. Luis Rodriguez is the Agriculture Minister of Dominican Republic. The Haiti-Dominican border markets show up on Monday and Friday every week.

The Dominican government on the other had responded by stating that it does not want to trim down the trade relations between the two countries and hence, it will remain the way it is. Luis Rodriguez stated from National Palace that the Haitian government wants to cut the trades to once a week probably because they want to reduce non-payment of taxes.

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Marie Carmelle Jean Marie has been assigned as the new Business Economic and Financial Advisor of the Presidency. According to well-informed source, Jean Marie was put into this post by and international community. The resignation of Jean Marie from the Lamothe administration goes on to show that Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe not President Martelly was the primary cause of resignation of the flamboyant Finance Minister.

After several discussions with President Joseph Michel Martelly and her wife Sophia Saint-Remy Martelly agreed to take up the post of Advisor to Financial and Economic affairs of Presidency. According to some well-informed sources, both President Martelly and First Lady Sophia had deep appreciations for the former Finance Minister Marie Carmelle Jean Marie, who is popular by the moniker Iron Lady.

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