TREORCHY, Wales, March 31 (UPI) -- Factory doors of the Welsh clothing maker Burberry closed in a low-key event marking the plant's demise and the loss of 300 jobs in Treorchy.
Two male choirs serenaded the workers as they left the factory for the last time Friday, The Guardian reported Saturday.
It was a contrast to the star-studded campaign against the clothier when it announced it would close its Welsh factory and ship its jobs to China. Famous faces from Welsh crooner Tom Jones to model Kate Moss, politicians and clerics expressed their dismay. Pickets marched in front of Burberry stores worldwide.
Prior to the closing, local union leaders and politicians addressed a crowd gathered at a theater, criticizing Burberry for moving the jobs overseas to boost profits.
An estimated half of the workers have no jobs lined up whole older ones said they don't think they will never work again.
Michael Phillips, 52, a factory cutter for 22 years, said, "It's so hard for many of us to find new jobs. We have specialist skills that don't easily translate into other businesses. At my age, it's going to be difficult to find a new job."
