‘Not the answer’

The Donald Trump administration today (May 1) announced that it would be extending its exemption on steel and aluminium tariffs for the EU, Mexico and Canada.

In March, Trump announced that the US would slapping 25 per cent tariffs on all steel imports as well as 10 per cent tariffs on aluminium imports. The government then extended an exemption to its key allies, with a deadline of May 1 to lift the exemptions. Now, the deadline is being extended again.

It provides a brief reprieve for these countries, whose steel and aluminum industries, alongside their governments and trade unions, now have time to make the case for a permanent exemption.

But Unite national officer for steel Tony Brady warned that there “must be a global solution that deals with countries responsible for overcapacity and the dumping of cheap steel and aluminum.

“Trump is playing misguided games and it is clear the prime minister Theresa May and international trade secretary Liam Fox now count for little in Washington,” he added.

“A thirty-day respite from punitive tariffs, whilst welcome, is not the answer.UK steelworkers and steel producers are not the villains. Countries responsible for massive over production, unfair subsidies, dumping and banning imports, such as China, Russia, Indonesia and others are at the heart of the problem.”