UK steel unions slam Trump’s “misguided” decision to delay tariff decision
British steel unions have hit out at President Donald Trump's move to push back a decision on whether to impose metal tariffs on the EU, saying the issue is "far from over".
Trump made an eleventh-hour decision to grant the EU, Canada and Mexico a 30-day temporary exemption from a 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent duty on aluminium imports, delaying the EU's hopes of securing a permanent exemption until 1 June.
Roy Rickhuss, the chair of the national trade union steel co-ordinating committee and general secretary of union Community, said the deadline extension was welcome, but it "still does not resolve the problems created by the Trump tariffs".
Read more: EU ups pressure on exemption from Trump's steel tariffs
"This issue is far from over, we've always said that these tariffs are not the answer to the challenges in the global steel market, and we will continue to make the case for a negotiated solution, not a damaging trade war," he said.
Unite's national officer for steel, Tony Brady, added that a 30-day respite from the tariffs was "not the answer".
"Trump is playing misguided games and it is clear the Prime Minister and international trade secretary Liam Fox now count for little in Washington."
Brady said there must be a global solution that deals with the countries responsible for overcapacity and the dumping of cheap steel and aluminium.
"UK steelworkers and steel producers are not the villains," he said.
UK Steel, the industry's trade body, added that while UK steel producers would greet the news with "a certain sense of relief… 30 days does not give us much time and all signs point towards a US insistence on the restriction of steel exports by its allies".
"Such an outcome would be viewed in a dim light by many here; indeed for some it could have a greater impact than tariffs alone."
Read more: Trump pushes back decision on EU steel and aluminium tariffs
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