Action Aid has urged the European Commission (EC) to reconsider its imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese footwear to ensure that footwear workers are not left paying the price in the mounting trade dispute.

A new report by the international development Non Governmental Organisation has revealed that the EU sanctions could leave one million people in Vietnam with only around €1 a day to live on.

The research, conducted by ActionAid Vietnam and the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Association (LEFASO), was submitted to the EC at a hearing in Brussels on June 2— the same day that provisional anti-dumping duties were doubled to 8.4%—together with a collective letter and more than 2,000 signatures from Vietnamese footwear workers.

According to Action Aid, these duties have already had a negative impact on production in Vietnam's footwear industry, which is the country’s largest export to the EU, with revenues of €2.1 billion in 2005.

According to initial estimates, the new duty could put up to 500,000 workers in the local footwear industry, and a large number of employees in related industries, out of work.

Some have already lost jobs, while many have had their working days reduced from 26 days a month to 20.