At least 5,000 workers have been laid off recently in free trade zone (FTZ) factories in the Dominican Republic’s Santiago province, according to the United Unions Federation, which is made up of 38 unions in the northern Dominican Republic. FTZs… Read moreDominican Republic: layoffs hit FTZs
At an international donors conference in Washington, DC in mid-April, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon says he will seek new “free-trade zones” and industrial parks plans for Haiti.
Former US president Bill Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Haiti on March 9 along with a large group of private investors for a 24-hour visit they said was aimed at increasing international aid for the country…. Read moreHaiti: Lavalas marches, students protest
Negotiations continue 10 days after the French government signed an accord ending the general strike that had paralyzed Martinique since Feb. 5.
A 44-day general strike in Guadeloupe ended with an agreement—but union leaders are under investigation as unrest spreads to the French overseas departments of Martinique and La Réunion.
The general strike in the French Caribbean department of Guadeloupe continues despite a preliminary agreement, making it the longest general strike France has experienced in more than 20 years.
French president Nicholas Sarkozy met in Paris with elected officials from Guadeloupe after the general strike in the French overseas department turned violent, with one union leader shot dead at a roadblock.
Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council barred Lavalas candidates from the upcoming senate race, insisting it needs official confirmation from the party’s leader, exiled ex-president Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
A US federal judge placed 30,299 Haitians under final deportation orders, lifting a suspension of deportations instated in September, after four tropical storms ravaged Haiti in one month.
The Collective Against Extreme Exploitation (LKP) in Guadeloupe broke off negotiations to end the general strike that has paralyzed the island after the French government refused to meet their demands.
Protests continue in Haiti over the barring of the leftist Lavalas Party from upcoming senatorial elections, while Swiss authorities say they will return assets of former “president for life” Jean-Claude Duvalier.
A general strike that has paralyzed the island of Guadeloupe since Jan. 20 shows sings of spreading to other French holdings in the region following a one-day multi-sector walk-out in Martinique.
