Workers demand action over Agoa fallout

Hundreds of garment-factory workers marched through Maseru on Friday, demanding urgent government action to save Lesotho’s collapsing textile industry, reports GroundUp. The march comes as uncertainty about the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) deepens fears of job losses. Agoa is a trade agreement with the US that allows duty-free exports of Lesotho-made garments to the American market. The Agoa agrement also impacts several other African countries, including South Africa. Workers said that without Agoa, tens of thousands of jobs would disappear, leaving families and entire communities that depend on the industry in hunger. The demonstration was organised by a coalition of unions after a tense standoff with police earlier in the week. Police had initially refused to issue a permit, but the Police Minister intervened, allowing the march to proceed after workers threatened to go to court. The workers’ petition calls for robust government efforts to renew Agoa and protect the livelihoods of the more than 30 000 people employed in the textile sector. It also demands measures to curb unemployment.

Full GroundUp report