Some of the workers told Variety that they will now go home because it is hard to get a new job on Saipan.
“The local government wants to give first priority to local residents for employment,” they said.
The workers said their employer do not owe them any back wages and will pay for their repatriation.
A 45-year-old man who worked as a security guard said he was with the factory for five year.
“I will go home now because there’s nothing here on Saipan,” he said.
He said they were surprised when the company announced that it was shutting down as there was no sign that the factory was losing money.
Mayz Cheng, Onwel’s manager, was not available for interview when the Variety tried to get her comment.
James Roduk, who also worked for the factory as a security guard, said the management didn’t inform them about the reason for the closure.
A garment worker, who refused to be identified, said most of them decided not to seek new employment because of the bad economic situation in the commonwealth.
When the Onwel stopped operations on Saturday, it has 60 workers — Thai, Filipinos, Bangladeshis and locals.
It used to have 300 employees.
Early this month, the United International Corp. and Onwel Garment Manufacturing filed their notices of closure.
UIC, which used to be one of the largest factories on island, will cease its operations on Sept. 21.
Since the liberalization of world trade rules in 2005, Saipan garment factories have been moving their operations to countries that have lower labor costs.
