US workers protest against use of India-made steel

NEW DELHI: Within a week of the US joining the G-20 declaration to "name and shame" the countries resorting to protectionism, hundreds of steel workers in US protested the use of India-made steel for an oil pipeline project in Illinois, the home state of President Barack Obama.

Nearly 1,000 protesters joined a rally organised by the United Steel Workers yesterday demanding the 'Buy American' policy for the US ventures, including the 2,000-mile Canada-US oil pipeline project.

While voices have been raised against the Chinese products in the US in the recent past, this is possibly the first time that a 'Made in India' brand has been targeted.

Protesters carried banners of 'Buy American' and 'Rebuild American Manufacturing' at the rally, held in the backdrop of a huge pile of steel pipes with 'Made in India' marks.

The protesters called for an end to the public policy, which they said has led to the dismantling of the industrial base of the American economy and the loss of millions of jobs.

The steelworkers are putting pressure on Obama to follow the 'Buy American' policy under which federal aid to corporates is conditional upon use of local products.

The G-20, of which the US is a leading member, adopted a declaration in London on April 2 that denounced protectionism. British Prime Minister Gordan Brown had said the countries resorting to protectionism will be "named and shamed".