New Zealand Council of Trade Unions calls possible US tariffs a 'bad faith project'
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions president Sandra Grey said the country still lags global peers on modern-slavery legislation. She nonetheless called the US-led investigation a 'bad faith project'. Any tariff decision could affect the Pacific trade corridor.
RNZ Business · Paris IbellRNZ Business reports that New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (CTU) president Sandra Grey has called a possible US tariff investigation framed around modern slavery a 'bad faith project'. Grey acknowledged that New Zealand has lagged in closing legislative gaps on the issue but said the process design masks commercial-protection aims.
The US Trade Representative had announced that a new tool package targeting forced-labour risk in import chains was being weighed. A possible 12.5 percent tariff rate on certain New Zealand exports has been floated. Fisheries, agriculture and dairy along the Pacific trade corridor are among the most sensitive lines.
The Wellington government said the process should be handled 'calmly and on the basis of data' through diplomatic channels. The Australian government also said it is in close dialogue with New Zealand. A joint statement from members of the Pacific Islands Forum in the coming weeks is on the agenda.
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