Denouncing Yellow Unions:  An Interview with Batay Ouvriye Organizer, Yannick Etienne

“This is a question of using this as a business front, and it’s not really unionism… When you say union, we talking about independence, we talking about autonomous struggle, we talking about democracy, we talking about the rank and file really controlling what’s going on in the union.”

On January 30, an assassination attempt was made on Yannick Etienne, a militant of Batay Ouvriye (Workers Fight), in the SONAPI industrial zone of Port-au-Prince. The perpetrators were flunkies of the NGO/yellow union CNOHA (Central National Workers of Haiti).

Above is an interview with Yannick that explains some of the context of organizing in Haiti, the recent attack against her by CNOHA, and the difference between autonomous and yellow unions.

Some of the context of this attack revolves around ongoing negotiations between textile trade unions and the garment factory Multiwear SA for back pay of wages unpaid to workers – wage theft.

You can click here to read a statement from SOTA-BO with further details on the Multiwear Negotiations (garment factory in SONAPI Industrial Park – Port au Prince).

One Struggle & the Rapid Response Network exhort our friends and sympathizers to also denounce this act internationally, and put CNOHA on notice that they will not get away with harming Yannick!

2 Ways to Take Action:

1) Click here to add your signature to a statement to denounce the actions of CNOHA.  

2) Email CNOHA at cnoha.haiti@ymail.com and its leader Dominique St. Eloi: sainteloid@yahoo.com

(Please cc Batay Ouvriye: batay@batayouvriye.org)

Some points you could include in your email:

• We denounce this foul attack on Yannick Etienne!
• We stand with Yannick, Batay Ouvriye, and the struggle of Haitian workers!
• Your actions are being watched internationally. BACK OFF!

In solidarity and struggle,

The Rapid Response Network

https://www.facebook.com/RapidResponseNetwork