PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) 鈥� More than 1,000 workers organized a protest Monday in Haiti鈥檚 capital to demand a higher minimum wage as the conflict in Iran deepens, .
Workers at the state-owned Metropolitan Industrial Park, informally known as Sonapi, gathered outside its gates in Port-au-Prince and shouted, 鈥淲hen we are hungry, we don鈥檛 mess around!鈥�
Employees noted that they haven鈥檛 had a raise since 2023, and that they can no longer afford basic goods given that Haiti鈥檚 government increased diesel prices by 37% and gasoline prices by 29% earlier this month.
鈥淎 gallon of gas is higher than our minimum daily wage,鈥� said Marc Jean Jean-Pierre, a 47-year-old father of two children.
He works at a factory making jeans, earning 685 Haitian gourdes ($5.23) a day, while a gallon of gasoline costs 850 gourdes ($6.49).
鈥淵ou can see what we鈥檙e going through,鈥� he said.
Jean-Pierre used to take public transportation to get to work, but now he walks for an hour to save money since the round-trip fare has increased by 100 gourdes (76 cents).
鈥淲e will be in the street until the government hears our voice,鈥� he said.
Joining Monday鈥檚 protest was Maxime Excellence, a 49-year-old factory janitor, who worried about rising transportation prices, among other things.
鈥淥n top of it, I have to eat. I can鈥檛 spent the whole day not eating,鈥� he said. 鈥淕od knows what I鈥檓 going to have to eat when I get home.鈥�
Excellence said the workers鈥� demands are fair.
鈥淲e can barely make ends meet with what we鈥檙e living on,” he said.
He said that he would continue to protest until their demands are met and would resort to violence if necessary.
James Cardichon, a 37-year-old factor worker who makes T-shirts, echoed those sentiments.
鈥淲e need a revolution for them to understand,鈥� he said, adding that the factory conditions also need to improve. 鈥淲e are leaving our sweat behind.鈥�
He said that workers are seeking a better salary so their children don鈥檛 have to experience the same problems.
鈥淲e are tired,鈥� he said. 鈥淥ur country is infested by gangs. The bus charges more because they have to pay to get through, and we end up paying for everything.鈥�
Cardichon also said he was upset about the ongoing promises by government officials to improve .
鈥淲e are tired of promises,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want them to take action, and quickly.鈥�
Some Haitians who joined the protest don鈥檛 work at the industrial park but wanted to express their frustration at Haiti鈥檚 spiraling crises, with and poverty deepening.
Garry Jean Paul, 35, who sells cellphones on the street, said that rising oil prices are worsening the country鈥檚 situation.
鈥淪ome days I make a couple hundred of gourdes, some days I have to go home with nothing,鈥� he said. 鈥淔amilies are doing things they are not supposed to be doing. They are begging.鈥�
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
