It has been about one year from the groundbreaking to the inauguration of the new headquarters of Haiti’s Confédération des travailleurs et des travailleuses des secteurs public et privé and, just as they did in March 2011, representatives from the Public Service Alliance (PSAC) and CUPE were present for the official opening.
The original building of the Confédération des travailleurs et des travailleuses des secteurs public et privé (CTSP) was destroyed by the January 2010 earthquake, which also took the lives of 300 CTSP members. With many government buildings destroyed, thousands of public sector workers have been left jobless. In 2011, CUPE and PSAC, along with other unions and Public Services International (
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with our sisters and brothers in Haiti. The reconstruction of CTSP union building and infrastructure is part of our ongoing solidarity work in Haiti,” said CUPE national president Paul Moist.
The new headquarters will help strengthen the work of the CTSP and its affiliate unions by providing them with the space necessary for training and capacity building among their members. The one-storey building has five office spaces and a large conference room for meetings and labour courses.
“The new building stands as testimony to the solidarity forged internationally among labour organizations,” says Sarah Belanger, who represented PSAC on the project throughout the year and attended the inauguration.
The CSTP brings together 13 unions, covering utilities, maternal and social benefits, archives, municipal workers and others. PSAC, CUPE and CTSP are affiliated with Public Service International.