Times Of Swaziland: US WORKERS WANT SD REMOVED FROM AGOA

US WORKERS WANT SD REMOVED FROM AGOA
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BY MFANUKHONA NKAMBULE on 15/12/2013 10:39:00


MBABANE – Workers in USA have called upon the Office of the US Trade
Representative (USTR), which is the Executive Office of President Barack Obama,
to remove Swaziland from the lucrative apparel and textile markets valued at
E670 million per year.
Swaziland may lose AGOA (African Growth and Opportunity Act) benefits because
the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations
(AFL-CIO) accuse the government of interfering with the rights of workers.
AGOA enables the country to export its goods to the US markets duty free - and
at favourably high prices.
The AFL-CIO is the umbrella federation for US unions, with 57 unions
representing more than 12 million members.
The kingdom is also being accused of failing to observe the right of
association, the right to organise and bargain collectively, and the right to
acceptable conditions of service.
“The AFL-CIO urges the African Growth and Opportunity Act Implementation
Subcommittee to review Swaziland’s eligibility for benefits under the African
Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
“The Government of Swaziland has failed to establish or make progress towards
establishing internationally recognised worker rights as required by 19 USC
(United States Congress) & 3703 (a) (I) (F) and unless the Government makes firm
commitments to improve its performance, the country should not be eligible for
benefits under AGOA,” reads the letter dated October 25, 2013, addressed to
the office of the US Trade Representative – the Executive Office of Obama.
“The Government of Swaziland restricts internationally recognised worker
rights in both law and practice. The country has been operating under a state of
emergency for the last 40 years,” reads the letter for the attention of the US
Government.
It has been learnt that the American Federation of Labour and Congress of
Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) wrote a letter to the USTR, dated October 25,
2013 requesting the Executive Office of President Barack Obama to delist
Swaziland from beneficiaries because she violated workers’ rights and the
right of freedom of association.
It can be said that President Obama, pressured by workers and civil society,
terminated trade benefits for Guinea, Madagascar and Niger in 2009 for failing
to make continual progress in meeting US requirements for the AGOA.
However, the trade benefits were restored in 2011 after President Obama had
satisfied himself that there was continual democratic progress in these three
African nations.
Meanwhile, the head of the USTR is a Cabinet member who serves as the
president’s principal trade advisor, negotiator and spokesperson on trade
issues. Michael Froman is the current trade representative, appointed in May
2013 by President Obama.
The Times SUNDAY reported in a fortnight ago that South Africa was considering
pulling out of the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) which contributes over
E7 billion to a national budget of E11.5 billion.  The textile and apparel
industry employs 19 000 workers.
The AFL-CIO is the same federation that put pressure on the then President Bill
Clinton administration in 1999 and 2000 to remove Swaziland from the Generalised
System of Preferences (GSP) until His Majesty the King led a delegation to the
US to intervene.
It remains to be seen if the Department of Trade will forward the letter to
President Barack Obama. The department of trade is a government ministry.
It is said that US imports from Swaziland totalled E670 million (US$67 million
in current foreign exchange) in 2012 while US exports to Swaziland totalled E400
million (US$40 million).
In total, the US said Swaziland was its trading partner with E1.7 billion
(US$107 million in total (exports plus imports) goods trade during 2012.
In 2012, US exports to Swaziland included optic and medical instruments,
electrical machinery, perfumery and cosmetics, machinery and special other,
which are donated products valued at US$2 million (E20 million).
In the same year, Swaziland’s exports to USA included Knit Apparel at US$31
million (E310 million), Woven Apparel valued at US$29 million (E290 million),
Preserved Food costing US$3 million (E30 million), Machinery at US$759 000 (E7
590 000) and Optic and Medical Instruments valued at US$562 000 (E5 620 000).
This is, therefore, the market workers in America say the country must forfeit.
‘JUDICIARY NOT INDEPENDENT’
MBABANE – The country’s judicial system does not operate independently;
hence Swaziland must forfeit AGOA benefits.
AFLO-CLO, an American federation pushing for the withdrawal of Swaziland from
AGOA beneficiaries, said Swazi workers had been denied access to the media
outlets because they were controlled by the state.
In a letter penned by the American Federation of Labour and Congress of
Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) for the attention of the US Government, the
Industrial Court is accused of siding with Government in deregistering the Trade
Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA).  Workers in America said the Government
of Swaziland used registration as a pretext to restrict associational rights. In
January 2012, it has been said that workers democratically formed the national
labour federation and obtained recognition from the Ministry of Labour and
Social Security.
However, in April 2012, the AFL-CIO said, government deregistered TUCOSWA, just
days after it had announced it would boycott the 2013 elections. It is said
government claimed the provisions in the Industrial Relations Act (IRA) used to
establish the federation only applied to organisations, not federations.
“TUCOSWA appealed to the Industrial Court, which sided with the government’s
interpretation of the law but determined there should be a dialogue to determine
a means of registration. This was ignored, and currently there is still no
recognised national labour entity in the country, despite petitions from all
TUCOSWA affiliates demanding recognition,” reads the letter in our possession.
“The Government of Swaziland has instead refused to allow TUCOSWA to hold
meetings or stage protests and targeted leaders with arbitrary arrest and
detention.”