Shirt Firm Shuts

A Co Londonderry shirt factory, which employed almost 400 staff at its peak, is to close down.

Competition from overseas suppliers in places like Bangladesh, Eastern Europe, the Far East and North Africa have eventually taken their toll.

RH Houston's is the last of four factories in the area to shut up shop and as proprietor Hezlett Houston wound up after more than 50 years in the trade, he spoke of the sadness of having to lay off the last dozen workers who had served him so well.

"The factories have inevitably dwindled to nothing," he said. "As well as our own factory, there were three others, Novus Styles, Wright's and Coleraine Shirt Company, all of which have already shut.

"They employed between 300 and 400, but they are all gone.

"My role now is to settle bills and try to sell off the machinery. I did sell off some at rock-bottom prices and the rest will simply be for scrap."

Mr Houston added that the shirt companies in Northern Ireland simply could not compete with overseas suppliers from Bangladesh, Eastern Europe, the Far East and North Africa.

"I checked with Bangladesh pay and conditions four or five years ago and discovered workers were being paid 17p an hour, and had no rights like holidays or holiday pay, sickness pay, a statutory working week, pregnancy leave - that sort of thing.

"Factories here simply cannot compete. We held on as long as possible, but the inevitable came," he said, sadly.

(BMcC)