In the Northern Marianas, the three remaining garment manufacturers on Saipan will shut down operations by next month.
Uno Moda Corporations Garment Factory, US CNMI Development Corporation and Marianas Garment Manufacturing have already told the Labor Secretary about their intentions.
The paper, the Saipan Tribune, says in 2008, eight garment factories, including the big United International Corporations, shut down operations, affecting over a thousand non-resident and resident workers.
The CNMI used to have 34 garment factories, all located on Saipan, contributing some 60 million US dollars in direct taxes a year to the local government.
Many of those factories reportedly started ceasing operations in January 2005 when the World Trade Organization lifted trade quotas.
