Two days after announcing the relocation of its production plant, Grupo M resumed operations at the industrial park located in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, along the border at Dajabon in the Dominican Republic. The company said it would dismiss 254 workers and close five of its ten modules instead of entirely abandoning production. The company said the decision was based on low productivity, employee absenteeism and security issues generated by activist groups, such as Batay Ouvriye, which sought wage increases through pressure tactics. In a press release, the company said it would consider adding new workers or shutting down, depending on how things went in the next few days.
El Caribe reports that Grupo M?s officials have decided to accept a proposal from World Bank and contract a mediator to examine the conflict that surrounds the group?s industrial operations in Juana Mendez (Ouanaminthe), Haiti. The mediator will try to identify the positions of each party and attempt to facilitate a process to resolve the situation as soon as possible. In the press release distributed yesterday, the group expressed their hopes that the mediation process would also establish the mechanisms to resolve any future issues that might arise. The statement says that the discussions are ?supported by the Consortium of the Rights of Workers, the Solidarity Center and the ICFTU, as well as the Sokowa union.?
The document reaffirms Grupo M?s desire to make their operation in Haiti a success, not only for the employees but also for the communities of Ouanaminthe and Dajabon. The company recognizes that there are worries about pay, but it says this is due to the fact that the people do not understand the system of payment incentives that reward the more productive with higher salaries. Grupo M also understands that strikes are legitimate forms of protest, and even though Sokowa is not an officially registered union, the company has recognized them, de facto, inside the factory.