THE United States has threatened to slap new duties against the Philippines and 59 other economies for allegedly failing to act against forced labor.
The proposed tariffs range from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said. These will undergo a public comment period before final decisions are made.
The move comes months after Washington launched investigations into trading partners, including China, the European Union and Japan.
The probes looked into whether they took action against the import of goods made with forced labor, and if this impacted US commerce.
The USTR said that 54 of the economies, the Philippines included, “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition.”
This group also includes China, Vietnam, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.
Six other economies — Canada, Ecuador, the EU, Indonesia, Mexico and Pakistan — were deemed not to have effectively enforced such prohibitions.
“The failure of our most important trading partners to address the importation of goods made with forced labor is unacceptable,” US Trade Rep. Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
“This creates a dynamic where American workers are forced to compete globally on an unlevel playing field,” he added.
The public was invited to provide written comments by July 6, after which hearings will be held.
The USTR said the Philippines had “failed to impose and effectively enforce a forced labor import prohibition” and that the failure to do so was “unreasonable” and “burdens or restricts US commerce.”
The Department of Trade and Industry was not immediately available for comment, but industry organizations raised concerns and urged continued negotiations.
“Our member factories are obliged to sign a contract, an agreement with the buyers, with the ones that we are shipping to USA, with our principal, ensuring that all our manufacturing practices are legal and following the international and the local labor laws and regulations,” Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines President Robert Young told The Manila Times.
The Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) also said that local firms were implementing responsible sourcing, transparency and compliance with labor standards demanded by global markets.
“We urge the USTR to engage in constructive dialogue with Philippine authorities and the private sector to better appreciate the reforms already undertaken and the continuing measures being implemented,” Philexport President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said in a statement.
He also urged the government to continue to actively engage with US trade authorities and demonstrate ongoing compliance efforts.
The forced labor investigations were initiated in March after the US Supreme Court struck down many of the tariffs ordered by President Donald Trump last year. FROM REPORTS BY AFP and CHYNNA GRACE ONG