Strikes in paradise
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Workers on the picturesque Caribbean island of Guadeloupe have taken to the streets for the seventh week in a row. The strikes are in protest against the rising cost of living but many also see them as part of a more general push by the islanders for economic self sufficiency.
Though the focus of the strikes is on a 200 euro a month salary increase for low wage workers, strikers cite equality and social justice as broader goals. According to one shop owner: “There are two standards of living in Guadeloupe and it’s time for that to end. It’s fundamental. It’s been around for 400 years. We have to stop this kind of exploitation and profiteering.”
Historian Didier Déstouches points to Guadeloupe’s colonial heritage to explain why the islanders’ resolve has entered a seventh week. He says descendants of slave owners have continued to wield economic power on the island. The same families that once owned slaves now control food distribution and are able to set prices, which partly explains the high cost of goods.
Listen to a report by Sarah Elzas:
