HAITI, December 7 — In three Haitian towns of St. Marc, Port-Au-Prince, and Gonaives, the spirit and the struggle of the November student demonstrations and national teachers’ strike continues. In all three, students went on strike and marched—the banner in the picture declares the demands: “Unite and fight injustice, high cost of living, insecurity, poor learning conditions, and MINUSTAH troops and their cholera.” 

Calling it charity, an insulting hand-out that falls far short of what they need, students refused the 18,000 gourdes (427 USD) one-time grant the President, Martelly, offered. Instead, they burned the grant applications and demanded instead decent campuses, transport, and health insurance. “We don’t need any $427 from a kidnapper,” they chanted, referring to a recent kidnapping case involving Martelly’s administration.Students call on everyone to unite to fight against injustice, the rich, insecurity, poor study conditions, cholera, and the UN troops.

On December 5, they also protested government sexism — it has protected an ex-minister of justice accused of raping his secretary. A PLP study group has been formed among some leaders of these actions.

The teachers’ union, UNNOH, has also continued meeting to plan further action after their two-day strike, including a national meeting of regional delegates. The promised negotiations with the Minister of Education have been delayed, showing the need for more direct action. The teachers received significant strike-fund help from a handful of North American and Caribbean teachers’ unions, and notice of their strike appeared in the French teacher/student union SUD. 

International solidarity is still needed and PLP members continue to build it. As the Latin American slogan has it, “¡Esta lucha va llegár a la guerra populár!” These struggles, if communist leadership is built within them, will lead to an all-out workers’ war on the bosses’ system.