Haiti’s Garment Sector Seeks to Improve Working Conditions

Port-au-Prince, Haiti - The Haitian garment sector has faced numerous challenges in recent years, leading to a significant decline in production and employee morale. A new report by Better Work Haiti highlights the issues that have plagued the industry, including basic security concerns, raw material shortages, fuel scarcity, and worker attendance issues.

Challenges Faced by the Industry

• On average, firms had to cease operations 11 times in the same period, resulting in significant losses
• Despite these challenges, Better Work Haiti has continued to engage with participating factories through its factory-level and industry convening services, aiming to address the issues and support the jobs of tens of thousands of workers

Non-Compliance Trends in the Industry

The report also examines long-term trends in compliance within the sector. According to the findings, there has been a deterioration in compliance across all areas, with key concerns including:

• Occupational health and safety
• Emergency preparedness
• Working environments

Key Concerns

• Factories have struggled to improve their working environment, which includes:
  • Ensuring acceptable noise levels
  • Temperature control
  • Ventilation
  • Lighting
  • Cleanliness
  • Tidiness These issues can impact worker health and welfare in the long term, as well as worker morale and factory output.

Lessons Learned and Next Steps

The analysis focuses on factories that have consistently engaged with Better Work Haiti for at least nine annual service cycles between 2009 and 2022. The results suggest that continued engagement with the program helps to ensure progress toward upholding national law and international standards at the workplace level, even in challenging environments.

Partners’ Next Steps

• Use lessons learned as an opportunity to redouble efforts to improve working conditions and achieve a sustainable, thriving garment sector
• Supported by several core development partners, including:
  • United States Department of Labor
  • Australia
  • Denmark
  • European Commission
  • Germany
  • Netherlands
  • Switzerland
  • United States

End Notes

Better Work Haiti’s latest compliance synthesis report highlights the importance of continued engagement with the program to ensure progress toward upholding national law and international standards at the workplace level. With support from its partners, Better Work Haiti is committed to improving working conditions in Haiti’s garment sector and achieving a sustainable, thriving industry for workers.