TimothyThe United States has ordered a review of its preferential duty-free status with Zimbabwe, alleging violation of workers’ rights in the southern African country.
This appears to be yet another guise Washington is using to strengthen its sanctions regime on Zimbabwe imposed two decades ago to force the country to abandon its land reforms.
Under the reforms, the government compulsorily took excess farmland from white farmers, who owned the bulk of Zimbabwe’s prime agricultural land, to resettle the landless black majority.
The US and most of her western allies opposed the reforms, and imposed a wide-range of sanctions on the country to force it to back down.
But Zimbabwe refused to give in to the Western pressure, and has endured the sanctions since, estimated to have cost the country over
US$100 billion over the two decades.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the review of the duty-free status, which will make Zimbabwe’s exports to the US expensive and uncompetitive.
The southern African country is among 119 countries trading with the US under a trade pact dubbed the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).
Over 3 500 products are exported to the US under the initiative.
To remain a beneficiary, member countries must comply with 15 requirements, among them ensuring “internationally recognised worker rights, providing adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights, and assuring equitable and reasonable access to its markets.”
While Zimbabwe’s review is on-going, Thailand is one country that has had its GSP status recently suspended after it was found to have failed to make “progress providing the United States with equitable and reasonable market access for pork products.”
A total of 54 countries had their GSP eligibility reviewed this year, according to USTR.
“Labor rights concerns in Zimbabwe relate to a lack of freedom of association, including the rights of independent trade unions to organize and bargain collectively, and government crackdown on labor activists,” the USTR said.
Suspension of the status could result in loss of millions worth of business for local companies exporting to the US.
“Zimbabwean exporters will continue to benefit from the GSP program while the review is underway,” the US Embassy in Harare said.
“We look forward to a collaborative and productive dialogue on labour issues to help ensure Zimbabwean exports to the United States can continue to participate in the programme.”
As of 2018, Zimbabwe was ranked the 169th largest goods trading partner of the US, with Harare having enjoyed a trade surplus of US$41 million at the time.
New Ziana
Bongani Ndlovu