Hundreds of factory workers protested Tuesday in Haiti’s capital to demand a higher minimum wage as the conflict in Iran deepens, driving up oil prices.
It was the second day that workers at the state-owned Metropolitan Industrial Park, informally known as Sonapi, gathered in Port-au-Prince and shouted, “When we are hungry, we don’t mess around!”
Employees noted that they haven’t had a raise since 2023, and that they can no longer afford basic goods given that Haiti’s government increased diesel prices by 37% and gasoline prices by 29% earlier this month.
Factory workers, earn 685 Haitian gourdes ($5.23) a day, while a gallon of gasoline costs 850 gourdes ($6.49).
“We are hurting. I get paid on Friday, and by Saturday I am already borrowing money,” said factory worker Roselainne Jean.
Joining Tuesday’s protest was Willy Badio, who worried about rising transportation prices, among other things.
“We haven’t had a raise since 2022, and the minimum wage is only 685 gourdes ($5). After the state tax, it becomes only 500 gourdes. If we have to pay for transportation, it is 500 gourdes already gone,” said Badio.
The conflict in Iran has caused oil prices in Haiti to surge, disrupting critical supply chains, doubling transportation costs, and forcing millions of undernourished people to cut back on already scarce meals.
Haiti, the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere, has been hit the hardest by rising oil prices that experts warn will deepen a spiraling humanitarian crisis.
AP video Pierre Luxama.
