Nearly 2,500 workers and shoe producers demonstrated in the main square of San Francisco del Rincón to demand that the federal government act against Chinese footwear and prevent the bankruptcy of Mexican shoemakers.
With banners with slogans such as “Support the Mexican economy and not Chinese footwear,” “For your work, for mine and for Mexico,” “Don’t buy Chinese footwear,” “No to Chinese footwear,” “Let’s protect our jobs, say no to Chinese footwear,” the protesters made a statement against Asian trade.
The spokesman for the association of United Businessmen of the Voice of the People, José Luis León García, accused the federal government of not attacking piracy and the entry of undervalued footwear.
Audio: 1:01 to 1:50 “Brands that we think are Mexican are not. There is a brand representing us internationally in the Olympics, it is called Charly, it is a company owned by a Mexican who no longer produces a pair of shoes in this town or in Leon, everything is imported (…) it imports everything, check its labels,” he said.
He stressed that the situation of Mexican shoemakers is “critical” because more than 50% of the national demand for footwear is being imported.
“The country demands 300 million pairs of footwear annually, this year 130 million legal pairs of Asian footwear have entered, plus contraband, I dare say that it is another similar amount, because in any market you go there is Chinese footwear, millions of pairs entered, that has left us with a demand of only 100 million, a capacity of 40%,” he warned.
He said that in the case of San Francisco del Rincón and Purísima del Rincón there are 1,600 footwear companies, which generate nearly 40,000 direct jobs, which are in danger due to the lack of action against Asian footwear.
“We have had to stop production, now we work 2 days a week due to the damage to the industry,” he warned.
He added that large national brands are subcontracting maquila companies to manufacture footwear with Chinese inputs, an action that is being validated by the federal government despite the impact on the national industry.
They questioned that the federal government through the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) carries out operations in Mexican companies and does nothing against Asian trade, which imports products and inputs at undervalued prices.
Source: jornada
