The Association of Employers of Slovenia, the co-ordinator of the project »Strong TCL«, together with partner organizations, organised at the end of the project the international conference.
At the conference titled: “Strengthening Social Dialogue in the Textile, Clothing and Leather Sector for a more competitive Europe”.the opinions of experts on key challenges, which need to be addressed by social partners and textile industry in the future, were presented.
In his introductory speech the Secretary General of the Association of Employers of Slovenia Jože Smole thanked to the project partners and supporting European social partners for their invaluable input in help when implementing the project. Also he expressed his gratitude to all companies that recognized the benefit of the Strong TCL project and opened their door, and his belief that social partners will be better incorporated in national debate on modernizing the employment and labour law.
Adviser to the Secretary General and Project Manager of the »Strong TCL« project mag. Tatjana Pajnkihar Napret summarized the key project achievements and findings, among which she highlighted the transfer of knowledge, experiences and good practice and the process of education of social partners. In the frame of workshops, organized in the project partners’ countries, and the study tour in Slovenia social partners were informed about the importance of European (sectoral) social dialogue and the fact that it is a level where the voice of national social partners and sectors can be heard in order to maintain the activity and competitiveness as well as employment in Europe. Project partners were among other acquainted with the relevant content of the collective agreement (concrete example) and instruct them on techniques / skills of negotiations in order to further develop and strengthen social dialogue, which is essential for achieving long-term prosperity and social peace.
The opportunities for the Textile, Clothing and Leather Sector and the expectations of social partners in the period of new European Commission were described by the Deputy Secretary General of the Industriall Europe Luc Triangle. He pointed out that the European textile industry must build its competitiveness on the basis of quality, namely on the necessary innovative and quality solutions in production, products and infrastructure. A 20% target of industrial policy share in Europe's GDP by 2020, fair taxation and fair international trade, with due regard to international conventions for all stakeholders, are needed. He also stressed that social dialogue plays an important role in achieving the above mentioned. Countries that have successfully coped with the economic crisis and have anticipated and responded to the necessary changes, have well developed strong social dialogue structures.
Director General of the Confederation of National Associations of Tanners and Dressers of the European Community (COTANCE) Gustavo Gonzalez-Quijano listed and described the strategies for securing the future of the European Leather Industry: invest in skills, make the sector more attractive, save energy and money, »think green«. Intellectual Property and Social Affairs Manager at the European Apparel and Textile Organisation (EURATEX) Stephanie Le Berre presented Educational and qualifications agenda for the TCLF sectors focusing on the importance of Skills Council.
Prof. dr. Majda Sfiligoj Smole, Head of Chair of textiles and design at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Maribor, informed the participants on how educational institutions are responding to the new needs of the textile industry. She explained how pedagogical processes and supporting researches improve industrial practice. In particular, the faculty adapts to the new situation in the field of textiles with: adaptation of study courses to modern trends in the textile industry, adaptation of programmes to current employment opportunities of graduates, intensive research for industrial partners and together with industrial partners, development of innovation, patent applications and scientific excellence.
Director of Boxmark Leather d.o.o. and Chairman of the Textile and Leather Section at the Association of Employers of Slovenia Marjan Trobiš and the Secretary General of the Textile and Leather Processing Industries Trade Union of Slovenia Anton Rozman spoke about the semi-annual experiences concerning the implementation of the renewed collective agreement for the textile, clothing and leather-processing industry. They agreed that the decision to conclude a new collective agreement instead of terminating the old one was sound. Coordination was quick and efficient, the new collective agreement was signed within four months, namely in February 2014. They summarized the content of the new collective agreement that brings a lot of advantages for both employers and workers, especially in the context of the flexibility resulting from a new Labour Relations Act. Among the positive provisions, according to Rozman, trade unions mainly comprise the preservation of the add-on seniority, the reference period for the provision of daily and weekly rest in case of shift work or uneven/increased volume of work, loyalty bonuses, severance pay, alternative dispute resolution. Trobiš stressed that the reasonableness of partners who were coordinating instead of negotiating, quickly led to the conclusion of a lean collective agreement. Despite the fact that the collective agreement was cleaned of many and unnecessary elements, Trobiš emphasized that a few chapters needed to be addressed in the new collective agreement, namely dismissal procedures, past work, wages, which correspond to the post, sick leave. To solve the above mentioned policy makers will have to be included..
At the end of the conference the importance of the Strong TCL project in order to sign a new collective agreement in the field of textile industry in Montenegro was presented by the Project Manager at the Montenegrin Employers’ Federation Mirza Mulešković.
With financial support from the European Union.