Garment makers unite to demand better terms from retailers By Victoria Waldersee and Ruma Paul / Reuters, DHAKA and LISBON Garment makers in nine countries spanning Asia, the Middle East and North Africa have banded together to demand better contract terms from global clothing retailers, according to a draft document. The suppliers hope their united front will prevent retailers from playing them off against each other in search of more lenient terms after widespread cancelations and payment delays at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global retailers including Arcadia, Gap, Kohl’s and Primark canceled or paused orders with garment-making factories in Bangladesh worth almost US$3.7 billion in March and April last year, the results of a local survey of factories showed.