Appel à une grève générale en Haiti.

Transport Union launches call for general strike in Haiti
August 21, 2007 News HaitiAction.net

©2007 Randall White
Transport Union launches call for general strike in Haiti
by Roger Annis

PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI — At a press conference here on August 17, one of Haiti's transport unions, the Association des Propriétaires et Chauffeurs d'Haiti (APCH - Association of Owners and Drivers of Haiti), launched an appeal for unions and popular organizations to hold a two-day, country-wide general strike to protest the disastrous economic situation facing working people in this country.

In an interview following the press conference, the communications director of the union, Fortuné Patrice, explained that the initial appeal is supported by many trade unions, student organizations and other popular movements. The union will hold discussions with more unions and popular organizations in the coming week to broaden support for the strike, set for August 27 and 28.

"The government of René Préval is aligning itself more and more with the interests of the foreign powers in Haiti, to the detriment of the Haitian people. Conditions of life for ordinary people are deteriorating all around us and we cannot sit back and let this happen," he said.

Fortuné says the strike will encompass the demands of transport workers, but also of the general population. Demands include:

A reduction in the price of fuel.
A compromise in the government's demand that transport workers and owner/operators pay up for vehicle license fees that went unpaid during the three and a half years of chaos that followed the February 29, 2004 coup d'etat in Haiti. [The union says the de facto government provided no services during that time, so drivers or anyone else being asked to pay up should not have to pay. The APCH has offered a compromise payment from its members of half the fees owed.]
Revision of the May 26, 2006 law that hiked various licensing and traffic fines by as much as 50 times.
An end to layoffs and privatisation plans for state-owned companies such as Teleco (telecommunications) and EDH (electricity).
Programs to improve the conditions of life for the poorest people in Haiti, such as reductions in the price of basic foods and more funding for health care and education.
The working age population in Haiti numbers 4.5 million. Of those, only 200,000 have salaried jobs, including 35,000 in government services and state-owned enterprises. There is deep and growing dissatisfaction here with the failure of the foreign occupation powers and the Préval government elected in early 2006 to make any dent in the crushing burden of unemployment and absence of public services.



The APCH organizes workers and owner/operators that run inter-city buses and transport trucks. It numbers 2,000 members. It is working hard to expand its membership, including among the 70,000 public transport ("tap tap") drivers in Port au Prince.

The union also supports programs that provide health care and other services to its members or the general population. One such program is a mobile health service, recently launched by the 35-member Syndicat Haitien des Professionels de Santé (Haitian Union of Health Professionals). (Please see this writer's article on the exemplary work of this group of health care workers).

Like everyone in Haiti, members of the APCH suffer from the dysfunction of government services in Haiti and violations of basic rights at the hands of police. Fortuné Patrice told this writer of a recent case of a truck driver who spent more than two months in jail after he came upon an apparent road accident in which the driver of a single vehicle had died. Police held the driver in jail as a preventive measure, they said, because had no one else who might have been responsible for the death. It took more than two months before the driver could appear before a judge and win a release.

In describing the social calamity facing the Haitian people, Fortuné commented on the absence of foreign aid programs needed to deliver much needed services to the Haitian people. "Haiti is the second-largest recipient of foreign aid by the government of Canada. But the population here does not see this money nor receive any services that it might provide.

"Is there any way," he pleaded, "that aid money from Canada could be directed to the organizations that are delivering services on the ground and not get wasted by a bureaucracy that never seems to reach the people?"

President René Préval is himself voicing discontent with the foreign presence in Haiti. On August 1, during a 24-hour visit to Haiti by the UN's new secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, Préval told reporters, "I invite the UN to reinvent MINUSTAH (the French acronym for the UN occupation force in Haiti) and make it an instrument of help to the justice system and improvement of our basic infrastructure."

But the President also declared in June, following a two-day strike by APCH and other transport unions, that he will not yield to protests for improvements in social programs nor to other criticisms of his government.

At the press conference that called for a general strike, APCH also expressed its concern about the recent kidnapping of political rights figure Lovinsky Pierre-Antoine. The union called for the kidnappers to release Lovinsky unharmed, and for the authorities to put all necessary resources into ensuring his safe release.

Another rally by Lovinsky's supporters will take place today (August 20) in Port au Prince in front of the presidential palace, calling for a maximum effort by government and police authorities to win his safe release. This rally is in place of one yesterday that had to be cancelled due to rains precipitated by Hurricane Dean. Port au Prince escaped heavy winds and rains from the hurricane.

Roger Annis is a member of the Canada Haiti Action Network and visited Haiti from August 5 to 20. To read all his reports from Haiti, go to www.thac.ca/blog/9. He can re reached by e-mail at rogerannis@hotmail.com.

mwen li nouvel saa ak tristes.paske si genyen yon bagay ke ayiti beswen se stabilite.;men tou fok stabilite ya ka bay resilta.Nou pa mande pou mirak akonpli nan yon lane se pa posib e nou pa ta swete se depa gouvenman saa ke mesye sendika chofè yo ap mande ,men yon moun ki pa nan ka yo ou pa ka kondane yo non plis ;se yo ki nan kwisinn lan se yo ki konn ki chalè ke yap pran.

Zafè ed saa vre se yon bagay ki pou fè yon moun poze kestyon depi depa Aristide se pa de lajan ou tande ke ayiti resevwa epi ou pa wè ki sa ki regle ak lajan sa yo ,tankou oganisatè ya di ya lajan yo pase nan peye birokrat.E se sa ki fè anpil mekontan ou tande gouvenman ap bay depite machinn,diplomat bonus minis kilti ap brase lajan men ou pa tande ki plan gouvenman genyenpou redwi nonb birokrat nan gouvenman ,manyè diminye nonb ministè fè de twa vinn yonn, tankou zafè ministède la kilti ministè de la kondityon femininn ,ministè de la jeunesse et des sports.anbasadè pa si anbasadè pa la, konsil pa si konsil pa la.Bagay sa yo se nan peyi ki genyen moyen pou moun jwenn swen sante nan lopital, ti moun genyen lekol pou yo aprann ,travaye jwen moyen pou yo manje epi ede fanmi yo ;moun genyen kay pou yo rete .se apre ou finn satisfè beswen esantyel popilatyon ke w fè ti pedan imite sa franse fè lakay yo.neg ki ap byen mennen nan konsila nan anbasad a letranje yo se yo ki ka pale de la kilti.Pep mayisyen pou le moman se dlo yo beswen ,lojman ,lopital, lekol ,. travay ,devlope agrikilti pou tout moun jwen manje. lajan sa yo ki ap depanse initil ta ka servi agronom Dejopie popu li gaye poulaye nan peyi p[ou nou pa beswen enpote ze ak poul de dominikani.

Nou ka mande ayisyen pou yo pran yon ti patyans ,men patyans saa genyen yon limit ,nou kounen se vre pou genyen la pè nan tet fok genyen la pè nan vant.Wi nou mande Presidan Prweval poul fè yon revisyon bidjè peyi ya poul dekrete yon bidjè kote yon kob pa dwe depanse san ke se pa soufrans pep la li soulaje.Se yon skandal pou yon peyi ki genyen tan beswen pou genyen yon paket enkonpetan nan yon gouvenman ki pa prepare pwojè a tan pou fon yo debloke.Saa li pa genyen padon.Si yon moun pa ka ranpli wol li se pa pou sove yon konsansus pou kenbe l nan yon gouvenman .konsansus fè sans se tou tan li ka fè peyi ya pwogrese.Voye enkonpetan yo al lakay yo.reforme administratyon peyi ;pale ak pep la .si mesye Palmantè yo pa vle aboli konstitutyon saa ki kreye tout birokrat la e byen se mande pep la pou yo adrese yo ak represantan yo pou fose yo chanje konstitutyon an si se pa sa mwen predi ke manda preval saa ap pase menm jan ak lot manda anvan, e se va yon desas pou mouvman popilè ya.pase nou pa genyen ekzkiz ineksperyans anko. se nan dezyem manda nou ye la jodya si se pa twasyem.Fok nou montre sa nou bay nan gad la.

On reprend les mêmes méthodes utilisées pour faire partir Aristide mais cette fois il n'y a plus de véritable opposition... ça ne marchera donc pas ! Apaid a eu les postes qu'il voulait et il a eu un peu le champ libre, maintenant il a complètement abandonné son ancienne équipe.

Preval ka genyen cojones plis pase Aristide tou.Epi tou gen lè se pa menm ekip la ki vle bay pwoblem koulyè ya.Byen ke mesye palmantè yo ki la mwen pa kont yo si se devwa yo ke yo ap fè.depi se pa konstitutyon yap vyole depi se minis dwet long ke yap denonse;depi se zafè peyi ya ke yap okipe mwen di ba li bwa chofè;si pa kont se yon ti gwoup ki ap defann koriptè la mwen dako fok yo mete dlo nan divin yo pou yo pa destabilize peyi ya .

men mwen ta kwè nan pwen peyi ya rive la tout ayisyen te dwe pran konsyans pou yo pa kite se anbityon politik yo ki gide yo.si se pa sa blan ap genyen rezon di nou pa ka gouverne tet nou epi mete nou sou yon okipatyon manch long.

moun sa yo se ekonomi debaz yo pa konprann, ou se intelligent yo intelligent.
neg la vle pou leta bali tout sevis, men li pa vle peye tax. li pa vle gwo peyi rantre nan zafe li, men li pa vle peye tax. li vle pou kenbe tout moun ki nan teleko yo, men li pa vle peye tax. men mezanmi, kote leta pral jwenn lajan pou bay tout sevis sa yo si leta pa balanse bije li. ki jan pou leta gen lajan pou fe lekol si li pa revoke moun ki nan biro leta ki pap fe aryen.
yon nonm shofe taxi, lap pase leta lod sou zafe teleco. ala dezod papa nan kilti ayisyen. li vle pou leta desann pri gaz tandiske leta pagen depo gaz. li vle pou leta ranmase fratra, li finn manje mango li lage li nan lari.
ala moun yo indipline papa!!!!