AFL-CIO Analyst Tells Trump Administration to Remove Mauritania From AGOA Eligibility
The Trump administration should terminate Mauritania’s African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) benefits, as the country hasn’t established rights to organize and collectively bargain, and continues to harass people who campaign to end slavery in the country, AFL-CIO trade policy specialist Celeste Drake told the interagency Trade Policy Staff Committee’s AGOA Implementation Subcommittee on Aug. 23. According to prepared remarks for a hearing to inform the executive branch’s review of AGOA benefits for fiscal year 2018, where Drake was the only testifying witness, she said the International Labor Organization and constituent groups have unsuccessfully tried to work with the Mauritanian government to address the situation in recent years.
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For Mauritania to keep its AGOA benefits, the country should be required to effectively enforce a 2015 anti-slavery law, strengthen its labor inspectorate, facilitate social and economic integration of former slaves, integrate civil society into planning awareness campaigns, revise its labor code to ensure full establishment of free association and collective bargaining rights, and end repression of all legitimate worker-led organizations, Drake said. The Labor Department’s International Labor Affairs Bureau should engage Mauritania as soon as possible to establish a plan to meet these goals, Drake said. The Embassy of Mauritania in Washington didn't comment.
In a pre-hearing brief, the Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles Association (SMART) doubled down on its previous call for the U.S. to remove AGOA benefits for apparel imports from Tanzania, Rwanda and Uganda until the East African Community reverses a 2016 decision to effectively phase in an import ban on used clothing and footwear (see 1706190017). “Implementation of the ban would expressly violate one of the key obligations of AGOA beneficiaries -- to work toward elimination of barriers to U.S. trade and investment,” SMART said in its submission. A joint submission by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of South Africa and the National Association of Automotive Component and Allied Manufacturers for the FY18 AGOA review advocated maintaining AGOA benefits for South Africa, and outlined several characteristics of South Africa that make it eligible for the trade preferences, including a market-based economy, an independent judicial and legal system, and a limited amount of barriers to U.S. trade and investment.
Email ITTNews@warren-news.com for a copy of Drake's prepared remarks.