ETUF:TCL
The European Trade Union Federation of Textiles, Clothing and Leather (ETUF:TCL) was officially set up on 24 March 1975 in Brussels under the name European Trade Union Committee of Textiles, Clothing and Leather. The history of the Organisation actually began in 1964 with the launch of the "European Research Department" as part of what was known at the time as the International Federation of Textile and Garment Workers.
Today, the ETUF:TCL brings together 70 free and democratic trade union federations stemming from 40 European countries (mainly the European Union, the European Economic Area, accession countries as well as EU candidate countries, but also from the Balkans and a number of other Eastern European countries). As a result, the ETUF:TCL represents more than one million workers, in other terms one in three in TCL sectors within the area delimited by the Council of Europe.
Supporting the competitiveness of our industry in Europe
Supporting the competitiveness of our industry in Europe, likely to become a promising sector for the future within the Union
The textile, clothing, leather and footwear industry has a future in Europe, but for that future to materialize the sector needs to bank more strongly on quality, creativity, technological development, research and development, and on a greater ability to respond more efficiently and more quickly to market requirements; the sector must also noticeably improve the level of vocational and continuous training. This implies that whenever necessary, our companies should favour investments in countries that are compatible with sustainable development in Europe. Considering that the average hourly wage cost in the 15-nation EU is around 15 euros, compared to the 45 cents in India, 40 cents in China and 25 cents in Bangladesh, it is obvious that competitiveness in European TCL sectors cannot be based on wages. Because of the difference in costs no price-oriented competitiveness strategy can win against emerging countries. Companies have a special responsibility to seek such non-wage cost competitiveness.
High Level Group Report and First Recommendations June 2004
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
AN OVERALL STRATEGY
The textiles and clothing industry of the EU is the world’s largest textile exporter and ranks second in clothing exports. However, depressed internal demand and rising imports, coupled with an inability to export to many closed external markets make it incumbent upon the authorities in the enlarged European Union to send strong signals to the industry that its concerns remain at the forefront of the EU policy Agenda.
European Commission overview of textiles and clothing industry
The textiles and clothing sector (or "T/C sector") is a diverse and heterogeneous industry which covers a wide variety of products from hi-tech synthetic yarns to wool fabrics, cotton bed linen to industrial filters, or nappies to high fashion. This diversity of end products corresponds to a multitude of industrial processes, enterprises or market structures.
