WESTERN BUREAU — Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) member of parliament for West Central St James, Clive Mullings, has blamed government policies for the continued demise of the garment industry in Montego Bay.

Mullings, in a statement this week, charged that the ruling Patterson administration is bereft of ideas, and “redundant in their thoughts and deeds”, which he said has resulted in the closure of most of the garment manufacturing companies in the Montego Bay Free Zone over the last five years.

The MP’s statement comes in the wake of last week’s announcement that the Hart Group of Companies will be closing another of its garment factories at the free zone at the end of this month, putting 400 workers out of work.

According to Mark Hart, CEO of the Hart Group, the planned closure of the factory, Sportswear Producers Number One, which makes female underwear, is the result of falling sales.

About two years ago, the Hart group closed Sportswear Producers Number Two, one of the three it operated at that time. Falling sales were also blamed for the closure which put 440 persons out of work.

The closure of the Montego Bay factory will add to the list of other Montego Bay free zone garment companies, which has ceased operations in recent years.

These companies, according to Mullings, have left more than 6,000 workers jobless.

He cited what he termed as “the unwillingness of the government to create an investor-friendly environment”, as the reason for the closure of factories.

He argued, also, that in some cases, the cost for rental of factory space in the free zone was too high when compared to countries like the Dominican Republic.

“This is one of the reasons why some of these companies have shifted their operations there,” Mullings said.