A Worker Deserves His Pay

A worker deserves his salary is what a big crowd of pro-Lavalas people’s organizations [OP] were saying yesterday morning when they were expressing their frustration in front of the Interior Ministry, the TPTC [Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications] and the house of Sister Anne in the Delmas area. The OP members went to ask for the money which was promised them for their participation in the recent demonstrations of support for [President] Jean-Bertrand Aristide. They spoke as follows:

[Unidentified OP member – recording, in Creole] The interior minister has told us that a sum of money was deposited for us militants. But now he is not taking any notice of us. Some of the demonstrators were acting violently, so the Intervention and Maintenance of Order Company [CIMO] has been brought in to hit us with their guns and chase us away. Some people were burning tyres on the street there and the BS [Special Brigade] made the people remove the burning tyres with their hands. All the state offices are paying OP members. For example, the Telecommunications of Haiti [Teleco] on Pont-Morin is paying OP members. But because we did not have time to register at the Teleco office, they do not want to pay us.

[Unidentified journalist] Do you mean that people have to register before taking part in demonstrations?

[OP member] Yes, we have to register first. The official papers of our organization are in there. I do not understand why they are making us walk backwards and forwards without paying us.

[Second unidentified OP member] If we did not vote for them they would not be in the government and they would not have a job. And now, they are treating us without any respect. They told us that they were going to give us some money. We waited in the courtyard of the palace until 1800 hours [local time]. But they just ignored us. He [not further specified] called the National Palace General Security Unit [USGPN] and got them to push us away.