During communism, textile company Makyta sewed clothes for the whole of Czechoslovakia. After the fall of the totalitarian regime, the company started focusing on the foreign market as well, producing quality clothes. Now, after 80 years, the company announced it is closing production and will lay off its 125 employees, most of which worked for Makyta their entire lives.
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“Europe is flooded with cheap goods from the Far East. Personal expenses are rising rapidly and energy prices are impossible to calculate,” said Marián Vidoman, CEO of Makyta, as quoted by My Považská website.
Severance pay
The layoffs will affect the factories in Púchov, western Slovakia, and Námestovo, northern Slovakia.
“It’s a disaster. We have worked for this company our entire lives, I, for one, for over 30 years. But hey, change is life and we will move on,” said Ľubomíra Pravdová. Dana Galvánková started as an apprentice 35 years ago, while seamstress Anna dedicated 45 years to the concern, and will retire after being laid off.
All employees will receive severance pay. Since most of them have been with the company for more than 20 years, it will be a hefty sum. However, the company is prepared for that. In cooperation with the Labour Office in nearby Považská Bystrica, the company is trying to find new jobs for them.
“Our people are disciplined, they come to work on time and they are skilled, so I think a significant part of them will find a job,” said Makyta CEO.
According to Vidoman, there is a strong decline in orders for luxury goods throughout Europe and department stores are full of goods produced in unecological conditions and of inferior quality. Although Makyta has produced clothes under its own brand, most of its production was sewed for global companies which no longer make orders as sales of luxury goods have fallen radically.
The CEO said that the turning point about a year ago when Makyta gradually lost partners on the European market.
The Makyta plant in Púchov. (source: TASR)
Renting premises
Although Makyta will cease to exist as a manufacturing brand at the beginning of next year, it will remain as a joint-stock company. It owns large premises which it plans to rent.
The Púchov-based company was founded in 1944, then under the name Rolný. Four years later, the company nationalised and became part of a group of clothing companies Odeva based in Trenčín, western Slovakia. Following year, the company was separated and moved to Púchov, changing the name to Makyta, the highest peak in the Púchov district.
Together with Matador, automotive industry supplier, they were among the largest employers in the Považie region. Thanks to this, the population of Púchov grew rapidly; while in 1940 it had only 3,700 inhabitants, in 1970 it was around 10,000.
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Publish date : 2024-12-11 11:11:00
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