‘Textile Workers Still Exist and Significantly Contribute to the Economy’

Although the textile, footwear, and leather production complex in Croatia is often viewed as extremely unstable and uncompetitive, textile workers, with their 21,500 employees, contribute over five percent to the total industrial production.

Foreign investments in this sector are so minimal that they cannot even be counted; there are no state subsidies or incentives for textile workers, so there is no reason for foreigners to come to Croatia in this regard. However, the textile industry, which has lost one hundred thousand jobs over the past twenty years, still exists and significantly helps the Croatian economy, is the conclusion of the conference ‘Textile Science and Economy’ organized by the Faculty of Textile Technology (TTF) in Zagreb.
In addition to a very precise analysis of the state of the textile industry, its key figures also offered solutions for revitalizing this sector. According to Vinko Barišić, director of Jadran sock factory, the government should simplify all factors that influence attracting foreign investors and convince them that Croatia is a safe place for their money.

-“Investors need to be offered a safe haven for their capital that will further grow in Croatia. However, we are not interesting to foreigners because we have destroyed industrial production. We constantly talk about new strategies for industrial development, and the only strategy that has been implemented in Croatia is a deindustrialization strategy,” Barišić stated. 
In the absence of planned solutions, representatives of the textile industry and the faculty agreed that in the meantime, the best approach is to employ as many people as possible, as workers in the textile industry are modest and work for minimal wages, which they believe should be one of the greatest virtues of this sector. 

The dean of TTF, Sandra Bischof, explained how adaptability and care are important for the textile industry, as well as for all other industries during times of severe economic crisis. For this reason, TTF changes and adapts its curriculum every year. Additionally, she spoke about the reputation of the textile industry and the faculty: 
– “We have an extremely poor response from students due to the bad image of our industry. It is high time we opened up to the country and Europe and sent positive examples of successful companies and individuals. 

Ivan Cerovečki, president of the Supervisory Board of Kotka, blamed the state of the textile industry on poor company owners, poorly executed privatizations, and the introduction of foreign retail chains that filled their capacities with goods from the Far East, making domestic textile workers automatically too expensive and uncompetitive. 
– “Today, only those who can afford to be cheap and those who can modernize quickly survive. Politicians have always told us to work, but no one wanted to listen to us. Moreover, we had a series of poorly set management structures, which worsened further during privatization,” Cerovečki said.
Due to all of the above, Cerovečki asserted, we must create students ready for the market, not for the labor exchange, which TTF has been working on for many years in collaboration with textile workers.