America votes: Clinton comes to aid of workers

President Clinton yesterday outlined a plan to help American workers displaced by overseas competition in his bid to win congressional approval of expanded trade negotiating power.

Mr Clinton said he wanted to provide $750m in additional funding to retrain dislocated workers in answer to Democratic concerns that new trade deals could lead US companies to relocate abroad to take advantage of cheap labour. "We must greatly expand our efforts to help workers who lose their job because of technology or trade or other economic changes," Mr Clinton said. "We will not create or save jobs in the short run or the long run by refusing to open markets to our products."