SALISBURY, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An international apparel company will lay off nearly 260 employees from its Salisbury manufacturing plant before the holidays arrive.
Listed in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Report, Gildan Activewear’s yarn-spinning plant on Heilig Road will eliminate 258 positions by Dec. 8.
In a letter to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the company said the employees could be transferred to its other local facilities.
“This facility is being closed as part of Gildan’s plan to continue to balance production and inventory levels to drive an efficient and competitive manufacturing platform. Employees of this plant are being offered the opportunity to transfer to other area operations in Salisbury and Mocksville.”
Gildan Yarns
The company currently has multiple yarn locations in North Carolina, including two in Salisbury and one in Mocksville.
Based in Montreal, Gildan is a billion-dollar, publicly traded company with 50,000 employees worldwide, according to its website. Gildan creates athletic apparel and casual wear.
In a statement, the president and CEO of the Rowan Economic Development Council mentioned his organization will host a job fair Nov. 4 for workers seeing new opportunities.
“The forthcoming closure of one of the two Gildan plants in Rowan County, affecting 258 workers, was brought to our attention this week via the WARN reports,” Rod Crider said. “The Rowan EDC, in unison with our community partners, is committed to supporting the displaced employees through this transition. … The Rowan EDC, Rowan County, and Granite Quarry are all committed to lending all their resources to assist Gildan in any way possible to assist them in remaining competitive and maintaining their presence in Rowan County.”
Companies that either close or conduct mass layoffs are required to file notices with the state of North Carolina.
Since Jan. 1, at least 7,999 workers in North Carolina have been impacted by layoffs.
