FOOTWEAR: Industry declares emergency and announces nationwide mobilization
On Tuesday, October 27, at the “El Querandí” hall, (CABA), the Chamber of the Footwear Industry (CIC) and the UTICRA trade union held a press conference attended by media outlets from across the country to draw attention to the severe structural crisis facing the sector and formally announce a nationwide mobilization for Thursday, November 19.
Job losses: The sector experienced a net loss of 43% of registered jobs since the end of 2023, representing the loss of thousands of formal jobs.
Factory closures: More than 200 production facilities closed across the country (a 28% reduction in the number of establishments).
Adding to the domestic crisis is unfair competition resulting from smuggling and trademark fraud at border crossings, the growth of informal sales through digital channels, and the relaxation of customs controls.
In response to this situation, business owners and workers called for urgent working meetings with the Ministry of Economy, the Secretariat of Industry and Commerce, and national legislators.
The aim is to coordinate measures to level the playing field and reaffirm their list of urgent demands to the National Government (tax relief, implementation of the SME Law, differentiated energy tariffs and maintenance of anti-dumping measures against China). “We cannot find a bottom from which to rebound,” the sector's representatives concluded emphatically.
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