Social dialogue in the tanning and leather industry covers activities related to NACE (Rev.2) code 15.11, which include:
- tanning, dyeing and dressing of hides and skins,
- manufacture of chamois dressed, parchment dressed, patent or metallised leathers,
- manufacture of composition leather,
- scraping, shearing, plucking, currying, tanning, bleaching and dyeing of fur skins and hides with the hair on.
The sectoral social dialogue committee has been created in 2001, replacing the informal working committee previously functioning since 1999. The Tanning & Leather sector employs, in the EU27, about 40,000 people in 2,850 companies. In absolute numbers, the Tanning & Leather sector is by far biggest in Italy, this country alone representing more than 50% of the sector’s workforce (21,800) in the EU27 (SBS survey, 2022).
The sector faces the following main challenge:
- global competition, notably with lower cost producing countries
- access to raw material, dependant on imports and local production
- shortage of highly skilled workers, which is likely to worsen with the ageing workforce and a lack of attractiveness to young people
- leather authenticity in the context of textile labelling
Workers' organisations
Employers' organisations
Key areas
The current work programme focuses on:
- competitiveness, RDI, anticipation and management of change
- fair international trade rules for fair and sustainable exchanges
- employment and demographic change
- health and safety at work
- education, training and lifelong training
- environment and circular economy
Activities & meetings
Check the library entries for this sectoral social dialogue committee.
Achievements/Joint texts
Check the social dialogue texts database