Unite, a large UK trade union, will be campaigning for the UK government to fully enforce recently enacted EU regulations that place tariffs on low-quality bus and truck tires imported from China.
The EU commission regulation, which was signed on May 4 2018, orders provisional anti-dumping duties of between €62.79 (US$74) and €82.17 (US$96) to be levied on new and re-treaded bus and truck tires imported from the People’s Republic of China. These tires are often of inferior quality and are sold at prices that other manufacturers cannot compete with, so the legislation aims to combat unfair competition and improve road safety.
The duties will initially apply for a period of six months, during which it will be evaluated whether the new policy is correct and effective. Unite will be lobbying the government to ensure that the new regulations are not only fully implemented in the UK immediately, but that they also continue when it leaves the EU next year.
Included in the EU Commission is a list of all the companies that will incur the duties. Interestingly, it also includes some of the Chinese factories of European, American and Japanese tire brands that have a reputation for good quality, such as Pirelli, Bridgestone, Michelin and Goodyear.
Tony Devlin, Unite national officer for rubber, said, “This is an important first step forward in our battle to ensure tire safety on our roads and to preserve tire jobs.”
“The regulations currently only apply to tires for lorries and buses and we believe that it should apply to all imported tires. They should also apply to all inferior quality tires and not just those from China. Safety concerns should never be comprised on the grounds of price.”
“It is imperative that the government fully implements these new regulations and ensures that they remain in place after the UK leaves the European Union next year. Any failure by the government not to fully support these regulations would be a complete betrayal of all UK road users and UK tire workers.”
