April 05, 2010
James Parks posts on the AFL-CIO blog that trade unionists from all over the world are meeting this week in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic to discuss rebuilding Haiti. Parks writes “Unions have already made it clear the reconstruction and future development of Haiti must include social protections, creation of decent work and respect for workers’ rights.”
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) made a statement last week at the donors conference and is organizing the meeting set to take place this week. General Secretary of the ITUC Guy Ryder said:
Rebuilding and defining a new development model for Haiti is a huge task that will require sustained international support. Today, trade unions, particularly in Haiti, must be involved in it. In the past, the country was characterized by a huge informal economy, severe poverty and hazardous and poorly paid work for much of the workforce in the formal economy. There is now an opportunity to change that for the better, and we are calling on international institutions, donor governments and the Haitian government to provide decent economic opportunities for Haitians.
