Trade union Solidarity has unveiled a proposed bilateral trade framework during a visit to the United States, urging both Pretoria and Washington to seize the opportunity to strengthen economic ties. The initiative, the union says, is aimed at protecting jobs, boosting investment, and securing South Africa’s role as a gateway for American trade into Africa.

The framework was formally sent to Presidents Donald Trump and Cyril Ramaphosa on 1 August. According to Solidarity, the Trump administration responded positively and indicated a willingness to engage at various levels, but Ramaphosa’s office has so far provided only an acknowledgment. Solidarity also wrote to President Ramaphosa on 5 September regarding the retrenchment crisis in the country, but again received no response. The union has now lodged a dispute over government’s inaction on the retrenchment crisis and lack of engagement with its proposals.

At the heart of the union’s US proposal are four points. First, Solidarity calls for the firm protection of property rights in South Africa to give investors confidence. Second, it argues for the removal of empowerment requirements for American firms, which the union describes as a non-tariff barrier to trade. Third, the union proposes that the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) structure be used to facilitate tariff relief for South Africa. Fourth, the union argues that South Africa will also have to adopt a foreign policy of true political neutrality, saying that “it is reckless to be practically an enemy of your largest trading partner, especially one that has established a favourable tariff dispensation in the form of AGOA over many years”.

Solidarity stressed that the stakes are high. Without such an agreement, South Africa faces the twin risks of accelerated job losses and greater reliance on China’s sphere of influence, at the expense of deeper engagement with the United States. The union insists that its proposed framework offers both countries an avenue to cement mutually beneficial economic relations at a time of mounting global uncertainty.