May 1st - Workers' Fight Federation
Encyclopedia
Batay Ouvriye is a national workers' movement in Haiti
known to be active at least since 1994.
in Haiti, it agitated for workers' rights while making ideological attacks upon Haiti's democratically elected progressive Fanmi Lavalas
government. In 2004 Batay Ouvriye called for the elected Haitian government to leave the country and in February of 2004 the government was overthrown. In 2005 it was found to be working with the AFL-CIO's
American Center for International Labor Solidarity
(ACILS) which receives 90% of its funding from the National Endowment for Democracy
(NED) and the US State Department. A total funding relationship of $449,965.00 currently exists between the NED/State Dept and the ACILS grantee program with the Batay Ouvriye. Both NED documents and Solidarity Center officials acknowledge this.
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...
known to be active at least since 1994.
Politics
While it negotiated the first contract in the Free Trade ZoneFree trade zone
A free trade zone or export processing zone , also called foreign-trade zone, formerly free port is an area within which goods may be landed, handled, manufactured or reconfigured, and reexported without the intervention of the customs authorities...
in Haiti, it agitated for workers' rights while making ideological attacks upon Haiti's democratically elected progressive Fanmi Lavalas
Fanmi Lavalas
Fanmi Lavalas is a leftist political party in Haiti. Its leader is former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. It has been a powerful force in Haitian politics since 1991. Fanmi Lavalas governments supported a policy of "growth with equity" based on Caribbean and Western European social...
government. In 2004 Batay Ouvriye called for the elected Haitian government to leave the country and in February of 2004 the government was overthrown. In 2005 it was found to be working with the AFL-CIO's
AFL-CIO
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, commonly AFL–CIO, is a national trade union center, the largest federation of unions in the United States, made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 11 million workers...
American Center for International Labor Solidarity
American Center for International Labor Solidarity
The American Center for International Labor Solidarity , better known as theSolidarity Center, is a non-profit organization affiliated with the AFL-CIO labor federation that serves as a conduit for US foreign aid....
(ACILS) which receives 90% of its funding from the National Endowment for Democracy
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy, or NED, is a U.S. non-profit organization that was founded in 1983 to promote US-friendly democracy by providing cash grants funded primarily through an annual allocation from the U.S. Congress...
(NED) and the US State Department. A total funding relationship of $449,965.00 currently exists between the NED/State Dept and the ACILS grantee program with the Batay Ouvriye. Both NED documents and Solidarity Center officials acknowledge this.
External links
- Batay Ouvriye official site