[Peace-discuss] Haitian Garment Workers Should Get $5 a Day

[Robert Naiman]

Americans want to help Haiti; Democrats control the U.S. Congress; the
Haitian Parliament has passed legislation saying Haitian workers
should be paid at least $5 a day; and specific legislation that
provides preferential access to the U.S. market to garments from Haiti
is already U.S. law. Therefore, the following policy reform ought to
be a slam dunk: Haitian garment workers whose products receive
preferential access to the U.S. market under the HOPE II Act ought to
be paid at least $5 a day.
[...]
This is a policy that labor, aid and Haiti solidarity groups should be
able to unite on. Labor wants to raise labor standards. Aid groups
want trade to support development. These are two great tastes that
would taste great together.

Establishing this policy would set a good precedent. U.S.-supported
international institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and
the World Bank have long used their influence to obstruct government
efforts to raise wages in countries like Haiti. But the IMF has
recently reversed itself on other long-held dogmas - embracing capital
controls and moderate inflation in developing countries, for example.
If the IMF can re-think capital controls and moderate inflation, maybe
it can re-think starvation wages.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/haitian-garment-workers-s_b_473262.html

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/2/23/123115/861

http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/491

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Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org
naiman at justforeignpolicy.org

Change.org: End the war in Afghanistan
Timeline for Withdrawal and Political Negotiations
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/end_the_war_in_afghanistan_establish_a_timeline_for_withdrawal_and_begin_political_negotiations

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