Haiti’s government fails to meet teachers’ demands after meeting, strike continues

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Workers unions met with Prime Minister Alix Fils-Aimé and Education Minister Augustin Antoine on Jan. 19 in Port-au-Prince to discuss public school teachers’ demands amid an ongoing strike. However, the meeting failed to resolve the issue, and the strike continues, union representatives said.

“The answers they gave us did not satisfy us,” said Josué Merilien, general coordinator of the Unitary Central of Workers of the Public and Private Sectors of Haiti (UNNOH), in a WhatsApp message to The Haitian Times.

“We asked them to quickly review our book of demands and come back with concrete solutions,” Merilien added.

A second closed-door meeting was scheduled for later that evening, but details about the outcome have not been made public. Merilien did not respond to interview requests about the second meeting, and the Ministry of Education declined to comment.

Years of strikes, little progress

For years, Haiti’s public workers, including teachers, health workers, and clerks, have gone on strike to demand better pay and working conditions. The government has consistently failed to respond with urgency, further destabilizing a country already grappling with poverty and instability.

In recent years, health worker strikes have forced pregnant women to give birth outside hospitals, while justice system strikes have paralyzed courts. Teachers have gone on strike multiple times, disrupting school schedules and leaving students ill-prepared for exams. In 2024, for example, fewer than 47% of students in Haiti’s Northern Department passed their 12th-grade state exams, largely due to school closures caused by strikes and gang violence.

Teachers’ demands

Public school teachers are demanding salary adjustments to address disparities among different communes and to keep up with rising living costs in Haiti. On average, teachers earn between 18,000 gourdes ($137) and 20,000 gourdes ($150) per month, and the government is often several payments behind.

The teachers’ demands include:

• Salary adjustments and timely payments
• Health insurance
• Debit cards for easier access to salaries
• Free hot meals for both teachers and students
• Full-time hiring for teachers who have been working for years without official status

Students out of school, protests escalate

The strike, which began on Jan. 6, has closed public schools in cities across Haiti, including Cap-Haïtien, Limonade, Port-au-Prince, Jérémie, Gonaïves, Miragoâne, and Jacmel. Students have been protesting regularly, demanding their teachers return to work.

In Limonade, students marched with leaves—a traditional symbol of protest—throughout the city on Jan. 20.

“We can’t find our teachers,” one student said during the protest.

Public school students in Limonade protesting to demand their teachers to report back to work. Teachers have been on strike since Jan. 6. pic.twitter.com/vyobDURDuA

— Onz Chéry / The Haitian Times (@Onz_11) January 20, 2025

Elsewhere, protests have turned chaotic. Last week, in Miragoâne, public school students clashed with private school students who refused to join their demonstrations, hurling glass bottles and rocks at one another, according to Le Nouvelliste.

A fruitless meeting with key absences

The Jan. 19 meeting included unions from the Unitary Central of Workers of the Public and Private Sectors of Haiti (CUTRASEPH), which includes UNNOH. The exact number of unions in attendance is unknown.

Merilien said they had expected representatives from the National School Canteen Program (PNCS) to address the demand for hot meals and from the Work Accident, Sickness, and Maternity Insurance (OFATMA) to discuss health insurance. However, neither group attended.

The meeting had originally been scheduled for Jan. 24, but teachers pushed for an earlier date, citing the urgency of the situation. The Jan. 19 meeting, however, ended without resolution.

In previous strikes, unions have reportedly ended protests after their leaders were given higher posts in the education sector. This time, teachers say they will not return to work until their demands are fully met.

Parents frustrated by prolonged strike

Parents, many of whom have already paid tuition for the second trimester, expressed frustration with the ongoing strike.

“I want to see my child working,” said Alius Aluter, whose 14-year-old daughter attends Sainte-Philomène High School in Cap-Haïtien. “The State needs to come up with a solution. If people are working, they need to get paid.”

For now, the strike shows no signs of ending, leaving students out of the classroom and parents demanding answers.

The post Haiti’s government fails to meet teachers’ demands after meeting, strike continues appeared first on The Haitian Times.

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Haiti’s government fails to meet teachers’ demands after meeting, strike continues was first posted on January 25, 2025 at 8:26 am.