The following is a round-up of apparel and footwear news from the world’s local media. just-style has not checked these stories so cannot guarantee their accuracy.
- A fire at a clothing factory in southern Beijing killed at least 17 persons and injured 24 more before more than 200 firefighters extinguished the blaze early Monday, a state news service reported. A short circuit was reported to be the cause. The four-story building in suburban Daxing district had been built by farmers on their own land and had not been reviewed by building inspectors. THE NEW YORK TIMES
- Pay talks between unions and employers in the Dominican Republic have stalled after the two sides were unable to agree the cost of living for a family of four. Unions want the minimum wage to rise between 25% and 30%, while employers are offering 13.8%. The current minimum wage is around DOP8,500 (US$225.8), but has the weakest purchasing power in Latin America. DOMINICAN TODAY
- Venezuela’s minimum wage will rise by more than 25%, President Hugo Chavez has announced. Workers will get a 15% increase from 1 May, and then a 10% rise in September bringing the monthly salary to the equivalent of $360. Some sectors had asked for a much bigger rise with the inflation rate at 27%. BBC NEWS
- Around 1,300 workers at a Taiwan-owned footwear factory in northern Vietnam have returned to work after the company agreed to increase their monthly salary. Workers at Stateway Vietnam Footwear in Hai Phong city wanted an extra $18 a month to take their pay to $88. DEUTSCHE PRESSE-AGENTUR
- Textiles firm Alok Industries plans to invest up to INR2,000 crore in the next four years to expand production capacity as it looks to cater to the growing international and domestic demand. Most of the funds will go into building its polyester capacity. THE ECONOMIC TIMES
