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Garment Industry - Haiti Observer Blog

Garment Industry, Haiti Observer Blog. Read the following articles about Garment Industry


 

Garment Accounts For 90 Percent of Haiti's Export

The Haitian clothing industry plays an important role in the country's economy. According to the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the industry makes up 80-90% of the country's exports to the United States with supports of trade free deals through the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, commonly known as HOPE. The garment industry in Haiti mainly focuses on low-end apparel clothing and cranking out plain T-shirts for the U.S companies such as Walmart, Gildan and Hanes. As of 2012, this sector employed more than 30,000 workers and accounted for about 10% of the country's GDP. In the last week of May, Haiti's Center for the Facilitation of Investments (CFI) and Association of Industries of Haiti have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Inter-American Development Bank for continuing their financial support for the existing duty-free trade agreement with the United States. During the last calendar year (2014), $854.3 million worth of textiles and apparel were shipped to the U.S.

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Haiti expects to export US$ 1.2 billion in garment in 2014

Haiti had a good year in 2013 where garment export, a fast growing market for the nation, is concerned. The sales, totaling $800 million, were gathered from the sale of 20 million groups of T-shirts packed by the dozen and 1.5 million jeans packaged in the same way, among other things. With the standard so high, the country sets its cap further, hoping to export $1.2 billion USD for their 2014 period.

Last year the exports included products such as cotton trousers, suits, innerwear and other outerwear to buyers such as Walmart, Hanes, Gildan, Levy's, Target, Fruit-of-the-Loom and Kohl's. The desire now is to expand that reach and to have the Haitian garment industry permeating not just the United States and Canada, but also countries in Europe, Asia and South America.

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Haiti Government Garment Sector Commission not Enforcing Wage Laws

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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Canada's garment to paid Haitian workers at least $7.22 a day

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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Haiti's garment and apparel industry, U.S. trade preference

Haiti is known for several industries in the global market, especially in terms of agriculture and tourism. But only a few know of the country's garment and apparel industry which is slowly growing with the help of the United States government.

The U.S. government has recently launched a U.S. trade preference with Haiti in order to promote the country's apparel industry. Haiti was able to export about 18 million dollars' worth of apparel to the United States on a duty-free provision for most of 2012, a highly significant increase as compared to previous trades years back. According to the U.S. Government's Accountability Office in a recent report, local apparel firms in Haiti have been receiving more credits which can be received through utilizing U.S.-made fabric and other related materials in exchange with the United States being granted with duty-free trade preferences.

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10,000 jobs are expected in Haiti Garment Industry

The job market is expected to be booming in Haiti in a relatively short period of time. If you are able and willing to work, you will be able to find job in Haiti.

The "Haitian Joudalist" learned that South Korea, The United States and the World Bank just signed an agreement to created at least 10,000 jobs in Haiti in the garment manufacturing industry. The Korean clothing producing company, Sae-A will create a brand new industrial park in Haiti just for this operation.

We are looking at Haiti in the near future to become one of the leading exporters of clothing products for the world. The Haitian government is in the planning phase of constructing this new industrial park. It is expected to be located in the North, close to the capital. New port and roads will be built to facilitate transportation.

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