On one side of the table is UNIC – Italian Tanneries, representing an industry navigating a particularly difficult economic climate. On the other are the three trade unions, FILCTEM-CGIL, FEMCA-CISL and UILTEC-UIL, which have put forward a list of demands. The Tanning Industry’s Collective Bargaining Agreement expired on 30 June, and the first meeting, held in Milan on 8 September, formally opened talks for the renewal. Further smaller-format meetings between parties have already been scheduled to move the process forward.
The renewal of the Tanning Industry’s Collective Bargaining Agreement
The demands include actions on contractual concerns, the development of more beneficial conditions and an increase in the guaranteed wage component, alongside broader leave entitlements for social, personal, health-related and training needs. Beyond that, it includes improvements to healthcare and pensions, measures on health, safety and the environment, and a review of the current classification system to better recognize skills, multi-skilling and organizational responsibilities. According to the three trade unions, which listed the demands in a statement, the proposals also cover a stronger role for the National Observatory and the launch of the sector’s bilateral body. The platform also includes overall wage increases, with specific amounts depending on the levels, to support “workers’ purchasing power”.
UNIC’s response
UNIC frames its response by highlighting the broader macroeconomic context. “In the three-year period 2023–2025, there were declines of 16% in production and 21% in sales”, reads a document from the association. “The negative phase continued in 2026, with production down 5%, turnover down 6% and exports down 5% in the first part of the year”. No signs of improvement are yet visible. Even so, the employers’ association for the Italian tanning industry notes that “employment has shown significant resilience, with a reduction of less than 5% over the last decade”.
While facing these challenges, UNIC argues that the unions’ demands would place too heavy a burden on companies. Businesses are instead calling for flexibility when it comes to contracts, working hours and shifts, as well as effective measures to address short-term and repeated absenteeism. To reach an agreement, UNIC concludes, it’ll be necessary “to find a sustainable balance between valuing work, productivity, flexibility and business competitiveness”.
