The recent publication in the BOE of Royal Decree Law 5/2021 of March 12 of extraordinary measures to support business solvency in response to the COVID19 pandemic, which includes the expected direct aid for the self-employed and companies, has left out of Facto to the entire sector of the industry of components and machinery for footwear and leather goods , “a sector that in addition to being strategic at the national level, is one of the most innovative in our country” , they underline.
Manuel Román Ibáñez, president of AEC
“Under normal conditions, today we should be talking about how well our fairs were working and about the projects we were starting up; but no, the reality is different and it is called SURVIVAL TO AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS WITH ZERO HELP . Just one year after the Pandemic began, we are asking the administration for real help so that we can finally start to see some light at the end of the tunnel and, however, what we got up with last Friday, March 12, was with the non-inclusion of our companies in RDL 15/2021, WHAT A CATASTROFE ” .
This has been pronounced by the president of the Spanish Association of Companies of Components for Footwear , Manuel Román Ibáñez, who urges the Government to correct the error made, since the RDL has omitted to include the National Codes of Economic Activities applied by companies in the sector of the components for footwear and leather goods, such as:
1520 Manufacture of footwear
1629 Manufacture of other products of wood; articles of cork, basketwork and plaiting materials
2219 Manufacture of other rubber products
2229 Manufacture of other plastic products
1330 Textile finishing
1392 Manufacture of made-up textile articles, except clothing
1394 Manufacture of ropes, twine, twine and nets
1395 Manufacture of non-woven fabrics and articles made from them, except clothing
1396 Manufacture of other textile products for technical and industrial use
1399 Manufacture of other textile products nec
1511 Preparation, tanning and finishing of leather; preparation and dyeing of hides
1512 Manufacture of leather goods, travel and saddlery and saddlery
1721 Manufacture of corrugated paper and cardboard; manufacture of paper and cardboard containers and packaging
1729 Manufacture of other articles of paper and cardboard
1811 Graphic Arts and related services
1812 Other printing and graphic arts activities
1813 Prepress and media preparation services
1820 Reproduction of recorded media
2013 Manufacture of other basic inorganic chemistry products
2052 Manufacture of glues
2059 Manufacture of other chemical products nec
2599 Manufacture of other fabricated metal products nec
2894 Manufacture of machinery for the textile, clothing and leather industries
3213 Manufacture of costume jewelery and similar articles
4616 Intermediaries in the trade of textiles, clothing, furs, footwear and leather goods
4624 Wholesale of hides and skins
4641 Wholesale of textiles
Initially, according to the recently published Royal Decree Law, more than 80% of the AEC companies have been left out , “which generates a comparative grievance and a serious problem within the sector of footwear components, which for the sector supposes an incoherence and an irreparable loss of opportunity ” , they remarked.
AEC , as well as other organizations belonging to the fashion sector, have been demanding direct aid for their companies since the beginning of the pandemic, and now of course, the inclusion in the recent RDL 5/2021 of the CNAES (National Activity Codes Economic) of their companies is vital to be eligible for aid.
“From AEC we demand from the Government the inclusion of all the CNAES of our companies, whose activities are included within the sectors of footwear, textiles, tanning, wood, plastic, rubber, packaging, graphic arts, chemicals, metal, machinery and commerce . And also, the immediate implementation of sectorial strategic plans, providing them with important aid, to be able to relaunch our sectors at an international level ” , they underline.
And they add: “Specifically, our sector, that of footwear components, represents a large number of companies and workers that have been heavily punished by the pandemic, which registers falls of up to 43.5% in the IPI Production Index Industrial throughout the year 2020, to position itself in a current decrease of 28.2% in production level ”.
It also highlights a drop in business volume that ranges between 35% and 45% and a decrease of 20% over the total number of professionals who worked in our sector before the pandemic, not counting those who currently have an ERTE . Likewise, this serious situation has had a negative impact on the ability to innovate and continue to manufacture products of the highest quality in our country.
In the same way, the pandemic has made a dent in the exports of our sector, representing a loss of more than 35% of our market share, going back to figures from 2012. “All these data reflect that the footwear sector and the components for footwear are one of the most affected sectors, to which this Royal Decree Law 5/2021 does not refer ” , they point out.
The sector of components for footwear maintained in 2019 business volume levels that were close to 2,000 million euros in turnover. Specifically, the exports of our sector reached 1,417 million euros, being considered one of the leading and most innovative sectors at the national level.
“The publication of this RDL puts an end to hope by not being able to opt for these direct aid, which will represent a before and after and a loss of opportunity that will lead to further destruction of the business fabric and direct and indirect jobs, weakening even more so not only our sector, but also the territories of the Provinces of Alicante, Valencia, Barcelona, Murcia, Albacete, La Rioja, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands, areas where our components are manufactured and marketed, also leading to a strong loss of competitiveness present and future by not being able to reactivate our industry, which represents one of the most important manufacturing pillars of the footwear and leather goods sector at a national and international level ” , they emphasize.
“If the Government really wants to help us, this is the moment for it to act and make decisions in this regard, committing itself once and for all to Spanish companies throughout the entire value chain.
From AEC we have already urged both the Ministry of Industry and the CEV and the CEOE to mediate and send our formal complaint and request for immediate correction to the Ministry of Finance to help us and correct the text of Royal Decree Law 5/2021 , in order to include our CNAES, accommodating all our companies ” , the statement concludes.
