Major textile factory in Haiti to close plant, lay off 3,500

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — One of Haiti’s biggest textile factories says it is closing an assembly plant and laying off 3,500 workers in yet another blow to the country’s crumbling economy. S&H Global said in a statement Thursday that strikes and social unrest have led to numerous delays in shipments, order cancelations and other problems. Its parent company is South Korean garment manufacturer Sae-A Trading Co. Ltd. S&H Global said its clients have opted to use other more reliable suppliers and factories elsewhere in the Caribbean and Central America. The announcement comes as poverty and hunger deepens across Haiti amid a spike in gang violence.