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Haiti

Gildan: Ascertaining the good produced

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http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ha.html

 

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http://www.usefilm.com/countries/ht/Haiti.html

Introduction

Gildan Activewear is a clothing manufacture that is based in Canada . The company has been expanding over the last five years. The company has several plants in the Caribbean with one of these plants is located in the unsettled nation of Haiti . The people of Haiti have experienced political unrest and change in recent years, and it is due to this lack of a stable government that the economic situation needs assistance. With the threat of Chinese low cost products overtaking the market, Gildan has centered production in states where necessities like food, clothing, and shelter are not had by all. But what affect is the Gildan Corporation having on the people that it is employing?

 

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Context of Haiti

The Republic of Haiti is located in the Caribbean on the second largest island, Hispaniola . The Republic of Haiti is located on the western side covering only one third of the area of the island. The Dominican Republic is Haiti 's most immediate neighbor, who shares the island of Hispaniola . Geographically, the island of Hispaniola is located in the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic and has 1,771 km pf coastline. The country itself is covers 27,560 sq km. The Republic of Haiti is located in a sub-tropical zone with a rainy and dry season with little change in temperature throughout the year.

  The country known as the Republic of Haiti was once the wealthiest French colony. The island of Hispania was first used by English, Dutch, and French pirates and buccaneers as a place to hunt and a buffer zone between their island of Tortuga and the Spanish empire. The island did not have any local inhabitants before the French arrived and claimed it and called it Saint-Domingue. Once new immigrants arrived and began successful farming the colony began to really grow. These new immigrants from France brought with them slaves from Africa and built large plantations. On these plantations sugar, coffee, indigo, and cotton were produced. These products allowed the colony to really grow and prosper to the point that between 1766 - 1791 Saint-Domingue was by far the wealthiest island in all the Caribbean (Leyburn 1966).

  The main reason why the colony was able to prosper was because the entire system was supported by African slaves. The ratio of slaves to white people was 10:1 (Leyburn 1966). The colony continued to remain under French control until 1804 when local forces defeated the army Napoleon sent to subdue the unrest in the country. After their victory, the local people claimed independence. It is widely believed that the lose of the wealthy colony led France to sell Louisiana to the United States . Haiti has experienced many changes in government from its liberation from France . The last few governments have been a dictatorship and a democracy.

  The economic situation in Haiti is has been unstable for quite some time. “In this poorest country in the Western Hemisphere , 80% of the population lives in abject poverty. Two-thirds of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming (CIA, 2005).” The basic form of currency is the gourd and five gourds are equal to five dollars US. The country was the only country in the world that experienced little to no growth during the 1950's and 1960's (Weil and Knippers and Black and Blutstein and Johnston and McMorris and Munson, 1973). Here is a table that shows the national GDP and the break down what percentage each economic sectors generates for the country.

GDP - real growth rate: 0% (2003 EST.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2003 EST.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 20% services: 50% (2001 EST.)

(CIA, 2005). Economic conditions have not been stable in the last decade.

 

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Brand: Gildan

Gildan is a company based in Canada; here is a part of the company's profile “Gildan Activewear is a vertically-integrated manufacturer and marketer of premium quality branded basic activewear for sale principally in the wholesale imprinted activewear segment of the Canadian, U.S., European and other international markets”(Gildan, 2005). Gildan became a member of Fair Labor Association (FLA) in 2003 . The Fair Labor Association is an international organization which “conducts independent monitoring and verification to ensure that the FLA 's Workplace Standards are upheld where FLA company products are produced”(Fair Labor Association 2005). All participants of the FLA follow a strict code of conduct which specifically outlines issues like forced labor, child labor, health and safety, and Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining .

  This does not mean that Gildan has a clean record. This quote is part of the statement which Gildan put on its web page in response to being audited by the FLA : “An FLA audit concluded that at our El Progreso factory there were restrictions on workers' rights to freedom of association (Gildan, 2005). The El Progreso factory was located in Honduras , and on September 30, 2004 the company decided to close the factory down when the lease expired.

  Gildan Activewear is going into countries where needs like food, clothing, and shelter are a precious commodity, and Gildan gives hundreds of people employment. Most of the countries that Gildan goes into are ones where the people are in desperate need of a job or the job they currently have is not paying them enough to survive, and when Gildan enters the market, they increase the demand for labor and because of this wages should rise. This is an example of classic microeconomics. However, there have been accusations made against Gildan stating that it is not helping with increasing the overall wage of the communities where its factories are located. “Haitian labor unions have reported (3) that the 70 gourde minimum wage (paltry, but fought for and attained by the Lavalas' government in 2003) is being rolled back (to its pre-2003 36 gourde level) now that a puppet/military regime is in place and are looking the other way while sweatshop owners exploit workers and expand operations in this more “favorable” environment.” ( Anthony Fenton, 2004). It should be noted too that there was only one source could be found that had these charges against the Gildan Corporation, but the existence of such an article is not a good thing. While such accusations are real, the Fair Labor Association has not decided to investigate. Gildan is not the only company that has been accused for exploiting labor in Haiti . The Disney Corporation was charged, and exposed for the exploitation of Haitians.(Esbenshade 2004).

  Gildan is investing in the country of Haiti . In Gildan's Annual Report 2005, Benito Masi, Executive Vice President of Apparel Manufacturing, states “On the sewing side, we [Gildan] will be developing plants in Haiti and the Dominican Republic ” (Gildan 2005). This investment into the country shows that Gildan is not setting up one factory and producing in Haiti until a new cheaper market can be found. The investment of sewing plants in Haiti will bring about hundreds of jobs ranging from construction to maintenance personnel. The development of new plants in Haiti shows that Gildan is making a long term investment, which will help the Haitian economy become relatively more stable. This stability will ultimately lead to higher wages and improved living conditions. Gildan has also made a commitment to the nation of Haiti after recent political unrest and the tropical storm. Gildan teamed up with the Red Cross and UNICEF to give financial assistance to the people (Annual Report 2005).

 

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People

The population of Haiti is 7,656,166, and 95% of the population is black and 5% is mulatto and white. The predominant languages spoken are French, Creole. The people of Haiti practice several different religions: “Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%, Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982) note: roughly half of the population practices Voodoo” (CIA, 2005). The Catholic Church plays a very active roll in the country; “in addition, the Church has become socially active on the issue of the treatment of Haitians workers.”(Griffith Sedoc- Dahlberg 1997). The Voodoo faith has its origins from Western African beliefs combined with the Catholic faith. “It [Voodoo] lacks a formal theology, printed scriptures, a hierarchical clergy, and a system of catechism”(Weil, Black, Blutstein, Johnston, McMorris, Munson 1973). The Voodoo is appropriate for the lower class because the faith centers more on spiritual release and very little social control.

Along with the poor economic situation that Haiti is in, the country suffers from another serious problem: AIDS. The CIA's world Factbook states that 5.6% of the population has AIDS, and that 24,000 people died from AIDS in 2003. This is a very real problem for anyone living in the country.

  Haiti is just like all countries and has unique customs and traditions. Haitians demonstrate their love for music and dance in their own distinctive way. “Haitians express their love of music and dance in bamboches. Bamboches are social gatherings where the dancing is pou' plaisi' (for pleasure). Haitians also combine work with pleasure through the combite . This is a communal working party held when a family or a neighborhood has a big work project. The participants work and afterwards drink clairin (a type of alcohol) to the beat of drums. A dance often follows the combite and may run late into the night.”(settlement.org 2005). One way of explaining this social interaction, so as to understand how it was developed is to look at Haiti historical past. From the very beginning, the black population has been oppressed by the French plantation owners. It is natural that the people would see that great positive change can occur in their communities when the community gathered together and worked for a common goal. Combining work and pleasure also make the combite something foreign to people from the United States . Most people in the United States do not mix work and pleasure, work is something people do so that they can enjoy themselves.

  The Haitian pastime is football. People in Haiti use the European style of football, which Americans refer to as soccer. The Haitian people are very similar with Europeans and South Americans for their love and adoration for the sport. Huge crowds fill Sylvio Cator Stadium in Port-au-Prince to watch matches. There are football stars that the country supports and admires. Children usually grow up playing the sport or a variation of it in the streets around their homes (settlement.org 2005).

  The wealthy Haitian people partake in tennis, golf, hiking and water sports such as diving, snorkeling and sailing. Also, visiting the beaches and countryside are other popular things to do for Haiti 's Elite Class. The majority of people in Haiti can not afford such sports and leisure. It appears the Elite are very similar to those in most countries. The American Elite also join clubs in the country where they partake in tennis, golf, and swimming. One can argue that a Global Elite Class exists, which transcends national boundaries (Held McGrew 2002).

 

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Process

I have tried contacting Gildan Activewear about its Factory in Haiti but I have not received any response. I have explored their website and searched the internet for articles concerning the company's presence in Haiti . As of right now I have not received any contact from Gildan. I have just recently subscribed to the company's newsletter, and hope that I will gain more information through this new source. I have not yet received the newsletter. I hope the company decides to return my emails so as I can accurately discuss the people in Haiti that Gildan employs.

 

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Conclusion

The Gildan Company is a leader in its industry of producing t-shirts and other apparel items. The company is a member of the Fair Labor Association but has been audited once and after the audit shut down the factory that was responsible for the audit. Overall, one cannot accurately tell whether or not Gildan Activewear has helped the many people it employs. The company is investing in the country, by building more factories, but this does not mean the employees', which work on the factory floor, lives are being improved. One can only ascertain that with the available information, that the quality of the Haitian people's lives has not been improved or diminished. But one thing is certain, when the company does not keep its working standards consistent with the Fair Labor Association's standards it is doing serious harm to the communities it is a part.

 

 

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Internet References Cited

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Peer-Reviewed References Cited

  • Esbenshade, Jill

      2004 Monitoring Sweatshops: Workers, Consumers, and Global Apparel Industry:   Temple University Press

  • Griffith, Ivelaw L. and Sedoc-Dahlberg, Betty N.

      1997 Democracy and Human Rights in the Caribbean : WestviewPress

  • Held, David and Anthony, McGrew

      2002 Globalization / Anti- Globalization: Polity Press

  •  Leyburn, James G.

      1966 The Haitian People. New Haven and London : Yale University Press.

  • Weil, Thomas E. and Black, Jan Knippers and Blutstein, Howard I. and Johnston,

    Kathryn T. and McMorris, David S. and Munson, Frederick P.

      1973 Haiti : a country study. U.S. Government Printing Office

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