HARD HIT for the Spanish footwear industry
Among one of the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus crisis, Spain is slowly trying to normalize its activities. The industrial sector, and in particular FOOTWEAR and manufactures, where in the Alicante area it has its highest concentration, has been one of the hardest hit due to the general closure of stores throughout the country and the pronounced decrease in the consumption of footwear, in order of priorities for food and health products.
As a consequence, the return to activity is hindered by the lack of orders and the shortage of protection elements, such as masks, gloves, etc. within a very rigorous prevention protocol that must be implemented.
The hope of many factories that export is the reopening of some international markets such as Austria and Russia.
The Federation of the Footwear Industry of Spain -FICE-, due to the extension of the state of alarm decreed by the government until April 26h, urgently requests a package of measures to alleviate the distressing situation due to the stoppage of productions, caused by the drastic drop in the supply and demand of goods and services, by legal imposition due to sanitary reasons.
In this framework they demand the suspension of the payment of taxes and the immediate release and expansion of credits to 50 billion euros, with government guarantees. The request for flexibility and extension of the ERTE's is added, -Temporary Employment Regulation File-, a legal instrument that allows companies to temporarily dispense with their workers and exempt themselves from paying wages during the time they remain out of work.
Much of required measures aim to mitigate extreme situations in the SME and self-employed sector.
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