Confederation des Travailleurs Haïtiens
Encyclopedia
The Confederation des Travailleurs Haïtiens (CTH) was founded in 1998 to provide a space for Haiti
an workers to organize collectively and promote a progressive agenda, such as opposing the privatization
plans of international financial institutions. Trade unionists of the CTH are based in numerous professions, such as education
, artisan
work, informal sector, port authority
, transportation, and as pastors working in rural areas with church coalitions. They have two offices in Port-au-Prince and one office in each of Haiti's ten departments.
Today the CTH is working on organizing in various sectors such as the ports, garment industry, economic development
projects, educational program
s, health programs, and a wide variety of worker advocacy. The CTH has a membership of 110,000 workers and runs its headquarters out of Port-au-Prince
, Haiti
. CTH is a member of CLAT (La Central Latinomericana de Trabajadores), CTC (Consejo de Trabajadores del Caribe), and the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation
).
and International Monetary Fund
, who supported for years a government aid embargo, caused CTH programs, especially in health, to lose funding. The neo-liberal philosophy is that “wasteful” government programs must be tightened up and private agencies should provide such services. The end result is that those who cannot afford services, the majority, go without. CTH supported the efforts of the Jean-Bertrand Aristide
government to stand up against privatization (2001–2004).
CTH members have taken a consistently anti-coup stance, calling for the restoration of constitutional democracy during both the de-facto periods of 1991-1994 and 2004-2006. In May 2006 Rene Garcia Preval was inaugurated as President, ending twenty-six months of an illegally imposed interim government.
The CTH is formed of 11 Federations and has three national commissions on women, human rights, and youth.
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an workers to organize collectively and promote a progressive agenda, such as opposing the privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
plans of international financial institutions. Trade unionists of the CTH are based in numerous professions, such as education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
work, informal sector, port authority
Port authority
In Canada and the United States a port authority is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.Port authorities are usually governed by boards or...
, transportation, and as pastors working in rural areas with church coalitions. They have two offices in Port-au-Prince and one office in each of Haiti's ten departments.
Today the CTH is working on organizing in various sectors such as the ports, garment industry, economic development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
projects, educational program
Educational program
An educational program is a program written by the ministry of education which determines the learning progress of each subject in all the stages of formal education....
s, health programs, and a wide variety of worker advocacy. The CTH has a membership of 110,000 workers and runs its headquarters out of Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. CTH is a member of CLAT (La Central Latinomericana de Trabajadores), CTC (Consejo de Trabajadores del Caribe), and the ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation
International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
).
Foreign Destabilization
In February 2004 Haiti’s constitutionally elected government was overthrown. Following these events the situation for workers in Haiti deteriorated. During this time members of CTH came under increasing persecution and threats. The SAP (Structural Adjustment Program) of the neo-liberal policies of the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
and International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
, who supported for years a government aid embargo, caused CTH programs, especially in health, to lose funding. The neo-liberal philosophy is that “wasteful” government programs must be tightened up and private agencies should provide such services. The end result is that those who cannot afford services, the majority, go without. CTH supported the efforts of the Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
government to stand up against privatization (2001–2004).
CTH members have taken a consistently anti-coup stance, calling for the restoration of constitutional democracy during both the de-facto periods of 1991-1994 and 2004-2006. In May 2006 Rene Garcia Preval was inaugurated as President, ending twenty-six months of an illegally imposed interim government.
The CTH is formed of 11 Federations and has three national commissions on women, human rights, and youth.
- Federation of the Workers of Industry and Subcontracting
- Federation of the Workers Craftsmen and Professionals; (FEHATRAP)
- National federation of the agricultural peasants (FENATAPA0)
- National federation of Workers of press and Communication (FHTP)
- National federation of the workers of health (FENATRAS)
- National federation of the workers in education and culture (FENATEC)
- National federation of the Workers of Construction (FENATCO)
- Haitian Federation of the Co-operatives and mutual insurance companies of the workers co-operative (FEHCOMTRA)
- National federation of the sector Commerce (FENASCOM)
- National federation of the Public Workers of transport
- National federation of the Workers of tourism (FENADETH)
- Trade union of the employees of the National Harbor Authority. (SEAPN)
CTH Website
Labor Centrals
- Consejo de Trabajadores del Caribe (CTC)
- La Central Latinomericana de Trabajadores (CLAT)
- World Confederation of Labour (WCL)
Other links
- Defending Labor Rights in Haiti
- CTH Secretary General Paul Chery interviewed on the 2004 coup and labor issues
- Failed Solidarity: The ITUC, AFL-CIO, ILO, and ORIT in Haiti
- Delegation to CTH and Haiti Human Rights Mission
- Ginette Apollon, head of CTH national commission on women speech in Los Angeles, CA
- Haiti: Civil Servants unjustly fired take to streets of Port-au-Prince to call for their reintegratio
- Haití La CTH en búsqueda de un renovado y diferente Bicentenario de la Independencia (Junio 2005)
- HAITI: Workers Protest Privatisation Layoffs
- HAITI: Pain at the Pump Spurs Strike Actions