Sectorial Social Dialogue Committee for the footwear industry, Employers' representatives: European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC), Workers' representatives: European Trade Union Federation of Textiles, Clothing and Leather (ETUF:TCL)

Child labour

Footwear sector.

The EU social partners pursued an autonomous dialogue following the process of social dialogue but resulting in "new generation agreements or autonomous agreements". These are not transposed into legal acts and therefore do not fall in the remit of traditional social dialogue. Autonomous agreements or new generation agreements are implemented by the procedures and practices specific to management, labour and the Member States.

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While respecting the principle of the autonomy of the social partners, the Commission will publish autonomous agreements and inform the European Parliament and the Council after undertaking an ex-ante assessment as it does for Article 139(2) agreements to be implemented by Council Decision. Commission may also monitor the agreements ex post. Upon the expiry of the implementation and monitoring period, while giving precedence to the monitoring undertaken by the social partners themselves, the Commission will undertake its own monitoring of the agreement, to assess the extent to which the agreement has contributed to the achievement of the Community´s objectives. The CEC and the ETUF:TCL agreed to follow up, in the framework of the sectoral social dialogue at European level, the gradual fulfilment of the implementation of this Code of conduct. In case of complaints, it is asked for a communication to be addressed to one of the social partners, specifying the nature of the complaints; a discussion will follow in the framework of the European social dialogue. To this effect, the CEC and the ETUF:TCL will conduct an evaluation of the implementation of the present Code, at least once a year in the framework of the European social dialogue; the first evaluation took place in 2001. They could ask the Commission and Member States to provide the necessary assistance in order to carry out the evaluation.

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