Casual and sportswear manufacturer Gildan Activewear Inc. is to reduce its Canadian and US facitilities to a five-day working week. This is in line with the company’s plans to focus on large-scale production at the textile manufacturing facilities in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

The Canadian and US textile facilities will continue to manufacture fabric for fleece and sport shirts, as well as for a T-shirt sewing facility in Mexico. The company continues to increase its overall capacity through major new expansions in both its Central American and Caribbean manufacturing hubs, and will continue to evaluate the role and global competitiveness of its Canadian and US textile manufacturing facilities.

In excess of 60 positions at Valleyfield and Bombay will be terminated and Gildan will attempt to alleviate the impact of this decision on its employees.