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The AFL/CIO urged Haiti's government not to accept them. A detailed memo described "egregious antiunion repression." It includes "acts of violence and intimidation." Guatemalan monitor Homero Fuentes called Sae-A "one of the major labor violators."
Worker Rights Consortium executive director Scott Nova calls the company "a big player in a dirty industry with a track record that suggests a degree of ruthlessness even worse than the norm."
Other critics expressed concerns about its Guatemalan labor and criminal law violations. Company executives used every dirty tactic imaginable to squeeze out profits. Manufacturing is conducted amidst intimidation, death and other threats on workers.
Nonetheless, Bill and Hillary Clinton welcomed Sae-A with open arms.
Caracol Bay contains Haiti's most extensive mangrove reserve and valued coral reef. Better suited sites were bypassed. Haiti's Audubon Society head Arnoud Dupuy called doing so "heresy."
Environmental considerations were ignored. Despite objections, development went ahead as planned. It includes a heavy fuel oil power plant, a dense housing project, and port on a soon to be lost pristine bay.
Instead of promised "building back better," profits superseded environmental and people concerns. Local backers and US officials downplayed the enormous damage done.
Haitians won't be helped. They'll be ruthlessly exploited for profit. Caracol's mayor, Landry Colas, wasn't consulted. He'd have picked a different site, he said.
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