Supported by the European Comission in the framework of the European Social Dialogue, 
DG Employment and Social Affairs

Conclusions of the Seminar

The two-day Seminar held in Vic by the Social Partners of the Tanning Industry represents a first attempt to address in dialogue and at European level the important challenges that both employers and workers in the leather sector will have to face due to the changes that society is experimenting. The event constituted a solid contribution of the Social Partners at sectoral level to the new EU approach in the modernisation of the organisation of work as outlined in the Commission’s Communication on the subject. The Seminar obtained a warm support by public authorities at all levels (EU, national, local) and from the top representatives of both sides of the industry. It introduced to an interested audience composed of employers’ and workers’ representatives from various EU countries a wide spectrum of subjects of relevance to the organisation of work for the tanning sector and prompted interesting debates among the participants.

The five sessions addressed questions of joint interest to employers and workers in labour relations and collective bargaining, flexibility and work stability, good practices and job classification, the incidence of new technologies and corporate social responsibility on the organisation of work in the tanning industry in Europe.

The main conclusions reached in the seminar can be summarised as follows:

1.       The topic of modernisation of the organisation of work in Europe’s tanning industry is of high relevance and concern to the industry. 

The Social Partners start noting 

·         that the changes in the labour market in terms of availability and competence of skilled workers have an important and increasing impact on business that needs to be addressed with urgency, 

·         that working time is evolving as a function of flexibility and security at work, 

·         that increased productivity of EU tanneries is a must for succeeding in an increasingly globalised economy and 

·         that improved employability of workers is a chance

2.       The changes in work organisation will have to be managed at the sector’s level and in the tanneries

The Social Partners understand

·         That a better management of human resources will become a key factor for success in business

·         That this requires tackling efficiently aspects such as career paths, social security and training, since it will be around those themes that the new relations between employers and workers in the tanning sector will be anchored

·         That new technologies in the tanning industry demand new people capable to apply them in practical terms exploiting to a maximum their benefits for the companies

3.       There is a need to foster a new corporate culture in the EU tanning sector

The Social Partners recognise

·         That the image of the industry and of the tanneries themselves needs to be improved at all levels denying activists movements any opportunity to pinpoint and harass the leather sector in Europe

·         That a feeling of belonging and pride should be promoted by the sector’s operators and workers as well as other stakeholders in the civil society stressing the important societal role played by the tanning sector which is not sufficiently explained by employers and not well understood notably by workers and the general public

·         That a sound policy on Corporate Social Responsibility requires making good use of the instruments developed for that purpose by the Social Partners such as the Code of Conduct

The Seminar in Vic was clearly marked by the will of the Social Partners to aim at the objectives of more competitiveness and more and better employment in Europe’s tanning industry. This is in line with the tanning sector’s commitment to succeed in the Lisbon agenda. 

The lessons learned by the participants will constitute a useful help when addressing the issues of modernisation of the organisation of work at the various levels of the social dialogue and when tackling at sector level the changes that EU governments are undertaking regarding labour laws with a view to reducing and simplifying administrative and tax burdens on SME’s.

The wealth of information produced in the Seminar constitutes basic intelligence for developing further activities in the field of the modernisation of the organisation of work in the tanning industry and to take most advantage of the opportunities offered by the EU through its structural funds and in particular the ESF.

The Social Partners are aware of their capacity to develop agreements which can become binding for the sector in this field and don’t exclude taking recourse if and where appropriate. 

It is important to highlight, finally, that the participants understood that the best way to modernise the organisation of work in the tanning sector is by doing it in social dialogue so that the benefits can be maximised at all levels and notably at the level of firms. 

Programme and speeches
speeches available on request to cotance

Friday, October 4th

OPENING SESSION                    INTRODUCTION - WELCOME Mr Jacint Codina Pujols, Mayor of Vic.  Mr. Josep Costa, President of COTANCE Mr Patrick Itschert, Secretary General of  ETUF:TCL.  Mrs Heli Immonen, President of  Dialogue Social  (European Comission) Mr Joan Pujol, Secretary General of Fomento del Trabajo Nacional (Catalan Employer’ Organisation) Mrs Concepcio Ferrer, European Parliament TCC group President Mr Jacint Codina Genis, President of CEC-FECUR

FIRST SESSION           

“new framework conditions for work relations in the EU and its incidence on the sector’S Collective bargaining nowadays”
“Work Organisation and Labor Relations: New challenges in the European Union”, Mr. Salvador del Rey. Professor of Labor Law and National Insurance.

Round Table with:
Mr Jaume Abad, General Director of Labour Relations of the Ministry of Employment (Generalitat of Catalonia)
Mr Joan Coscubiela, Secretary General of CCOO (Catalonia)
Mr Jose Maria Alvarez, Secretary General of UGT (Catalonia)
Mr Jacint Codina Genis, President of CEC-FECUR
Mr Manuel Rios Navarro, General Manager of INPELSA (Grupo Lederval), member of CEC-FECUR.

SECOND SESSION              

"New trends IN  collective bargaining”
Mr. Javier Ibars. Director of Labour Relations of Fomento del Trabajo Nacional ( Catalan Employers’ Organisation)
Mr. Salvador López. Secretary General of FITEQA-CCOO Catalonia. 
Mr. David Alonso. Secretary General of FIA-UGT Catalonia.

Debate with:
Experts, tanners, representatives of the tanning sector’s trade unions and related sectors ( textile and  footwear) from Spain and from other EU Member States.

THIRD SESSION                  

"MAKING COMPATIBLE FLEXIBILITY WITH WORK STABILITY - A GENERAL APPROACH TO THE ISSUE"
Mr. Benet Armengol. Director of Labour Relations of Spanish Intertextile Council
Mr. Isidor Boix.  Secretary union action of FITEQA-CCOO
Mr. Marcos Velázquez Villacorta.  Secretary union action of FIA-UGT

"Examples of Good Practices in the Leather Secto" - An Italian Experience"
Mr. Fabio Ronchi.  UNIC (Unione nazionale Industria Conciaria)
Mr. Luigi Raimondi. Representative of FEMCA-CISL (Italian trade union)

"CHANGES IN JOB CLASSIFICATION -  SPANISH CASE"
Mr. Emilio Ferrero. Legal adviser of Spanish Tanners Association CEC-FECUR
Mr. Vicente Rodríguez. FITEQA-CCOO

GUIDED TOUR TO LEATHER MUSEUM – ANDREU COLOMER FOUNDATION     

PRESENTATION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSURE ON TANNING OF LEATHER IN VIC   

Saturday, October 5^th

FOURTH  SESSION                     “The incidence of new technologies on the organiSation of work” Mr. Xavier Marginet, Manager of AIICA Mr. Rumon Hankey, International Business Manager at BLC (British Leather Confederation) FIFTH  SESSION                          “PROMOTING A EUROPEAN FRAMEWORK FOR CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSABILITY -– SOCIAL CODES OF CONDUCT” Mr. Jackie Morin, Head of Unit in the European Comission, DG Employment and Social Affairs/ D1-Interprofessional Social Dialogue, Industria Relations and Adaptation to Change. Mr. Gustavo González-Quijano, Secretary General of COTANCE.  Mr Patrick Itschert, Secr

CLOSURE SESSION                        

The Seminar was closed by the following Authorities: 

Mr Enric Castellnou, President of Osona Local Council
Mr Joan Rovira, President of Osona Employers' Association
Mr Isidor Boix, Secretary of FITEQA-CCOO
Mr Marcos Velazquez Villacorta, Secretary General of FIA-UGT.

Organised by the Confederacion Espanola de Curtidores CEC-FECUR

Interested in Training in the Leather Industry? See also our page on the Italian Seminar on Training Needs in the Tanning Industry.