The shoe and leather sector: a victim of war, dumping and government neglect

As Safir published yet another report on the decline of handicrafts and traditional production in Lebanon, this time covering the sector of leather and shoes production which used to be the source of livelihoods for more than 35000 people (workers & their families) and used to contribute to 8% of the GDP, whilst currently it hardly employs 3000 workers.  The report noted that Lebanon used to have some 1200 shoe factories in addition to thousands of leather and bags factories in the seventies. Civil war, regional tariff agreements acted to reduce the sector to a mere 200 shoe factories whilst leather and bags factories are but a handful.
The report reflected the predicament of workers in this sector. Abu Ahmad for instance, who owns a small factory in the Southern suburb, noted that shoe factories in Lebanon used to employ thousands of youth but are now reduced to small shops.  The president of the trade union of shoe and leather workers, Rida al-Saad, noted that the Lebanese civil war affected this sector greatly especially with the rise of sectarianism as most of the factories were located in eastern sectors of Beirut whilst workers were mostly from the South and commuting between various areas was almost impossible.  He added that the Taef agreement as well as subsequent regional tariff agreement further undermined this sector.  Al-Saad also particularly referred to the situation of contractual workers who are denied their basic rights.  He concluded by saying that in the nineties, government policies favored the service sector and neglected production thus furthering the demise of this sector.

Source: Al-Safir 4 December 2014