Haitians protest to demand minimum wage increase

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Hundreds of striking workers in Haiti protested Thursday for a second straight day at an industrial park in the capital Port-au-Prince to demand pay increases.

Police fired tear gas on several occasions Wednesday and Thursday in attempts to break up the protests.

Inflation rates continue to rise in the Caribbean nation, where the poverty rate was estimated to be as high as 60% in 2020, according to the International Rescue Committee.

Protesters blocked roads and police attempted to disperse the crowd with tear gas, but demonstrators then gathered in front of the industrial park that employs them and shouted their demands.

The National Society of Industrial Parks, the main industrial park in the Haitian capital, is dedicated mainly to textile manufacturing for export.

The workers are demanding a tripling of the minimum wage from US$5 to US$15 per eight-hour workday among other things, such as transportation and food subsidies. They claim that while living costs are rising, their salary does not cover their basic needs.

Haiti is struggling with a deep economic crisis, a wave of gang violence and political instability following the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July last year.

Workers have said that they will protest again next week if they do not receive an increase in wages.