French overseas territories

Guadeloupe strike leader to face race-hate charges

Article published on the 2009-03-08 Latest update 2009-03-08 11:15 TU

Elie Domota
(Photo: Reuters)

A court on the French West Indian island of Guadeloupe has opened an investigation into strike leader Elie Domota for incitement to racial hatred and extorting a signature. The move follows Domota's declaration that bosses who refuse to pay wage rises agreed at the end of the strike should "leave Guadeloupe".

In a reference to the white descendants of former slave-owners who the strikers say dominate the island's economy, Domota said that he would not let "a gang of békés bring back slavery".

And, after reaching an agreement without the signature of many of the biggest employers, he said that bosses should quit the island, if they refuse to pay the 200-euro wage rise for the low-paid which was part of the deal.

The lawyer for the committee that led the strike, Patrice Tacita, dubbed the enquiry "a provocation".

In nearby Martinique, where the strike continues, nine people were arrested in Friday's clashes between supporters of the action and bosses, according to police.

Negotiations are expected to resume in the Indian Ocean island of Réunion, where workers have launched a copycat struggle against poverty, after supermarket owners broke them off Saturday because of flying pickets closing their businesses.