Haitians protest over minimum wage increase
Published:Wednesday | August 5, 2009 | 9:38 AM
The police in Haiti fired tear gas at persons who demonstrated outside the Parliament yesterday to demand increases in the minimum wage, that is less than US$2 a day.
Its estimated that more than 2,000 people took part in the demonstration, ripping down flags of United Nation member countries near the Parliament building.
No one has been arrested and there were reports of one person being injured.
Earlier this year, legislators approved a proposal to nearly triple the minimum wage, but President Rene Preval refused to publish it into law.
The debate has fuelled unrest across the country, with some critics arguing that an increase would hurt plans to fight rampant unemployment by creating jobs in factories that produce clothing for export to the United States.
The legislators have said they will resubmit the proposal without any changes, raising the minimum wage to about US$5 a day.