Pacific brands factories close

Pacific Brands' Palmerston North textile factory will close today with its Christchurch plant to follow on Friday.

The company announced in March it would be trying to sell the operations, but a month ago confirmed it could not find a buyer and and the 46 workers at each of the two factories would lose their jobs.

When the closures were announced, the National Distribution Union said it had negotiated for the company to run a redundancy resource centre at the factory and fund retraining costs of up to $3000 per person.

Ross Taylor, group manager underwear and hosiery, said today 70 per cent of staff had opted to enrol in courses funded by Pacific Brands. Courses being taken included forklift and heavy vehicle operation, small business operation, welding, and event management.

"We will continue to enrol staff within courses that will best position them to secure employment once they leave Pacific Brands," Mr Taylor said.

The company was also providing career advice and helping staff polish their CVs and interview skills .

Mr Taylor acknowledged it had been a difficult period for workers and thanked them for their support and commitment.

- NZPA