PITTSBURGH: A group of labour unions led by the United Steelworkers have slammed the US President Donald Trump’s administration for suspending port fees on Chinese ships that workers argued would bring about a revival in the once-dominant domestic shipbuilding industry.
The unions expressed “strong disappointment” with the administration’s decision.
They said it would have negative consequences in the nation’s attempt to restore the United States’ maritime sector, according to a letter sent to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The letter, also signed by the International Association of Machinists, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, said the decision will allow China to continue “predatory behaviour”.
The strong comments come a week after Trump touted a trade truce between the world’s largest economies, assuring Americans that the Chinese would buy more agricultural goods and roll back export controls on rare-earth minerals that threatened to undermine US national security. — Bloomberg
