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Tue 10 Oct 2008Bolivians face widespread layoffs as US suspends trade preferences over drug trafficking
THE DECISION by the Bush administration to suspend trade preferences that benefit Bolivia has left workers here worried about the potential for widespread layoffs at a time when the nation is struggling to cope with the international financial crisis.
US officials said 20,000 to 30,000 Bolivians might lose their jobs as a result of the suspension of preferences, which are important for such exports as textiles and jewellery. "This decision is discriminatory and political," said Emilio Pinto Marin, vice-minister of the budget department. "It's going to affect our productivity."
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