Sri Lankan apparel workers stage protest against Trump’s tariffs

Colombo, Sep 13 (PTI) Hundreds of Sri Lankan apparel industry workers took to the streets on Saturday in Colombo to protest against the new trade tariffs imposed on the country by the US President Donald Trump.

Sri Lanka’s trade tariff was reduced to 20 per cent from earlier 44 percent following negotiations with the US trade department.

The members of the free trade zone unions said all their fringe benefits such as uniforms, the annual excursions, sports festival and end of the year reception have been stopped.

“The new tariff would make the Sri Lankan garment exports to the US more expensive, the orders will shrink and the factories will have to be closed down”, Anton Marcus the trade union leader said.

He said 16,000 jobs in the apparel exports sector are being endangered by the high tariff.

In August however the government said the new rate of 20 percent had placed Sri Lanka on par with key competitors in the garments export industry such as Bangladesh and Vietnam.

The export industry was urging for a tariff lower than 20 per cent to be able to remain competitive.

Sri Lanka’s annual volume of exports mostly garments and rubber goods fetched 3 billion dollars while imports from the US amounted to 3 million dollars. PTI CORR RD RD RD