SUGAR-CANE BATEY CONDITIONS VARY GREATLY

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000865 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR WHA/CAR, STATE FOR DRL, PRM E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF ECON EAID DR SUBJECT: SUGAR-CANE BATEY CONDITIONS VARY GREATLY REF: A. SDO 297 ¶B. 08 SDO 1110 ¶C. SDO 236 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: This cable analyzes living conditions in sugar-cane bateyes in the Dominican Republic that are owned by Grupo Vicini, Centro Romana Corporation (CR),and the GODR's State Sugar Council (CEA). During the last six months, PolOffs visited several bateyes throughout the country. Many residents of these bateyes live in substandard or deplorable conditions, but many others have seen significant improvements in housing and human services. Each batey visited faces very similar over-arching challenges (i.e., often inadequate education, health, electricity, or other services). Moreover, many residents lack the documentation they need (whether from Dominican or Haitian authorities) to access health care and other services. Overall, the private sugar refining companies are taking positive steps in improving the lives of workers on their bateyes. The CEA, however, remains relatively passive and unresponsive to their workers' needs or concerns. END SUMMARY. BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (SBU) The state-owned sugar industry initially played a major role in the Dominican economy. After the price of sugar fell in the late 1980s, the sugar market collapsed. The response by the GODR's State Sugar Council (CEA) was to reduce production, sugar fields, and the number of Haitian sugar laborers. Even with the reduction of labor and costs, and an increase in privatization, the sugar industry has never fully recovered. The sugar industry is now dominated by two major private firms, the Grupo Vicini LTD (Vicini) and Centro Romana Corporation. The CEA owns many sugar fields where many of their "bateyes" (i.e., rural shantytowns or sugarcane work camps) are found. The CEA has not, however, produced sugar for over ten years, leaving their residents with little or no source of income. Haitian migrants and Dominican sugar laborers continue to live and work on private and state-run bateyes. Whether privately owned or state owned, bateyes in the Dominican Republic have similar challenges and problems, namely deficient health, education, water, and electricity services. The situation is made worse by a lack of resources from the GODR and the bateyes' isolation from the general population of the country. VICINI BATEYES ; -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Poloffs traveled to bateyes owned by Grupo Vicini LTD (Vicini) in the San Pedro de Macoris area both with representatives from the Vicinis (reftel A) and separately with NGO representatives. While conditions in the bateyes currently range from poor to deplorable, the Vicinis are implementing new development initiatives and making moderate upgrades to their bateyes. The Vicini bateyes visited are typical of bateyes found throughout the Dominican Republic. Housing is provided for the workers, but not all have electricity or running water. Medical facilities are available to the residents, but the clinics in each batey deal with only minor injuries. For serious medical emergencies, workers must travel to the City of San Pedro (several hours away in some cases). Workers are required to cover their own medical costs due to their inability to show documentation that might allow them to benefit from the state-run health plan (reftel B). ¶4. (SBU) With respect to education, local primary and secondary schools are usually located within about 3 to 5 miles, if not in a given batey. In more isolated bateyes, children must walk along a dirt path through sugar-cane fields to reach them. Batey residents reported to PolOff that adolescent female students, on their way to or from school, are sometimes raped by the same cane workers with whom their parents work. Violators are not usually punished mostly due to the transient nature of the work force and the lack of oversight by the Vicini administration. ¶5. (SBU) The Vicinis have invested millions of dollars in the construction of a larger, modern, and consolidated housing project for their batey workers and families. Once the new housing community, named "Nuevo Cayacoa," is complete, the firm will demolish their existing bateyes (reftel A). According to PolOff's estimates given the current construction progress, completion of the project could be in less than a year. CENTRO ROMANA BATEYES -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The bateyes owned by Centro Romana (CR) are noticeably better maintained than bateyes owned by CEA or the Vicinis. Current housing is already comparable to the quality and size of the Vicini housing project, "Nuevo Cayacoa." Centro Romana provides both single family houses and duplexes. However, nearly all homes lack electricity, and communal bathrooms are located outside of the home and shared by three or four households. Potable water is available at a central location in each batey. Residents are not allowed to make renovations or to paint their homes, and the company places limits on house parties and general noise after hours. Upon termination or retirement, workers must vacate their housing, with most moving to live on CEA bateyes or relocating to Santo Domingo. The company does pay a severance package to their employees. Additionally, schools and medical facilities are available in many Centro Romana bateyes. STATE-RUN BATEYES: STATE SUGAR COUNCIL (CEA) -------------- ¶7. (SBU) PolOffs visited several state-owned (CEA) bateyes in the areas of La Romana, San Pedro de Macoris, and Barahona. The CEA bateyes fall into two separate categories - those which are still producing sugar and managed by the Guatemalan firm Ingenio Barahona, and those which are no longer producing sugar for an individual company. In the latter case, rural sugar-cane workers sell what they manage to harvest to middle-men who then sell that to any one of the existing sugar refineries. ¶8. (SBU) People in the CEA bateyes that are not managed by Ingenio Barahona (IB) live in the most deplorable conditions of the bateyes inspected by Poloffs. Their houses are made of whatever materials are available, including wood lath covered with mud and scrap metal held together with wooden sticks. Most of these bateyes lack running water (whether potable or not) and sewage management is non-existent. Homes that have electricity receive it from illegal connections to nearby power lines. Schools are usually located in areas near the bateyes, but hospitals are either sparse or unstaffed, leaving the ill to travel tens of kilometers in search of larger towns with medical facilities. The residents are destitute and seek work from any available source, including agriculture, begging, and prostitution. ¶9. (SBU) Residents in the CEA bateyes managed by Ingenio Barahona, on the other hand, are in a much better situation. While their original houses are still fashioned from available materials (and many structures are on the verge of collapse),several private donors have paid for the construction of new homes for IB workers. PolOffs met with representatives of the company who spoke of creating a housing project similar to the Vicini's "Nuevo Cayacoa." This would consolidate the sugar-cane workers' housing and improve overall living conditions. (Note: Construction has yet to commence, but IB officials claim to have selected a location for their new housing project. End Note) The company recently built a new, modern dining hall for all of their workers, purchased school buses for transporting workers to and from sugar fields, and now has an ambulance to use for serious medical emergencies, with plans to purchase another in the near future. Each batey also has its own school, and families living in IB-managed bateyes can access a pre-school program for younger children that is organized by Futrazucar Barahona, the union operating in the IB-managed bateyes. Generally, the bateyes run by the Guatemalan firm are better than standard CEA bateyes, but still are not on the same level as bateyes owned by Centro Romana. They are, however, on par with some of the Vicini bateyes. USG PROGRAMS -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Notable positive developments are on the horizon for the bateyes essentially abandoned by CEA, thanks only to USG assistance. USAID has recently initiated a batey-improvement project. This five million-dollar program seeks to provide assistance to the state-owned and neglected bateyes by building homes and schools, enhancing water and sanitation systems, and providing some employment opportunities in the immediate future and long-term. ANALYSIS and COMMENT -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Bateyes still garner a significant amount of interest from NGOs and outside organizations as the center of abuse of Haitian migrants and/or their neglect in the Dominican Republic. Bateyes have generally seen a recent surge in renovations and improvements, possibly because of more focused publicity on the issues of Haitians living and working on bateyes. Attention now appears to be moving from the plight of Haitian laborers in bateyes to their exploitation in other sectors, e.g. the construction industry. ¶12. (SBU) Although the sugar companies may justifiably be blamed for conditions they allowed to persist for several years, the private sector appears to be making some progress in providing some support and resources for their bateyes. Conditions in bateyes owned by Centro Romana Corporation (CR) are exceptional: They are already on par with improvements seen in several bateyes across the country. Moreover, it appears CR did not allow the same deterioration and abysmal conditions to emerge on their properties. Indeed, the major complaint from CR residents was that company rules and regulations (regarding noise, etc.) are strictly enforced. According to the residents, the company does not give workers sufficient freedom. ¶13. (SBU) A serious and widespread problem affecting many residents of bateyes is a lack of proper documentation. The GODR recently started a drive, run by the Central Electoral Commission (JCE),to confiscate documentation from those they feel may have received their documents through fraud or error (reftel B). At the same time, the GODR has instituted policies to reduce the number of undocumented persons in the country (reftel C). Thus far, however, only the Ministry of Migration has issued temporary work permits. The ultimate results of these initiatives (and the Haitian Embassy's efforts, if any) have yet to be seen. Concern exists, however, that these seemingly contradictory moves by the GODR, and a failure on the part of Haitian government representatives in the DR to do much to help possible Haitian citizens, will only compound the problems of some batey residents and others of possible Haitian descent. ¶14. (SBU) Post is guardedly optimistic about the recent efforts of sugar companies to improve living conditions for their sugar-cane workers. Whether the GODR and the CEA will make improvements soon is less certain, although the USAID initiative offers some hope. Also uncertain, but of potentially great importance, is the impact of bio-fuel initiatives on the sugar-cane industry. Post will continue monitoring the situation and report on any significant developments. BULLEN