Textiles de France - The UIT and its Network

The Union des Industries Textiles (The Union of Textile Industries) is a professional association that was founded in 1900. It unites the professional employers' groups of the industry:

Professional federations and branches: cotton, wool, linen, cordage and nets, mesh, silk, lace and embroidery, artificial and synthetic textiles, finishing... ;
or regions: Aisne, Alsace, Champagne, Lorraine, South-Pyrenees, North, Normandy, Picardy, Rhone-Alps.

Representing the majority of the 1100 textile companies active in France by means of its member groups, the UIT fulfils the three following objectives :

1/ To protect the interests of its members

The UIT, strong in its network, aims at creating a legal, social, fiscal and commercial environment, beneficial to textile activity :
• At the French level, the profession advocates notably the creation of new funds in order to set up appropriate systems, according to the qualifications and age of employees whose employment is weakened, a simplification of the SMIC (the guaranteed minimum wage) and a reform of professional tax ;
• At the European level, it defends intellectual property, and supports all the initiatives likely to help Small business to innovate and to export;
• At the international level, the UIT approached its natural partners (Eurovet, Premiere Vision, Espace Textile) to elaborate and implement an ambitious export plan (Russia, China, India...), in collaboration with Ubifrance

2/ To define the lobbying strategy for the profession and to be the spokesman for the industry to the decision makers

The Board of Directors of the UIT defines the general policy of the profession and represents it to public authorities, and to employers and union organizations at the national, European and world level for all subjects of common interest: taxation, research and development, social rights, sales and marketing policy, industrial strategy, protection against counterfeiting…

3/ To improve professional skills within companies

The UIT develops a very active policy in the initial and continuous training areas.
Through FORTHAC, an indirect-tax collection body, it maintains close ties to all textile schools and universities. Since its creation in 1994, 21000 young people have benefited from combined work/study contracts and more than 320 000 young trainees from continuing training.

UIT 37-39 rue de Neuilly, BP 121, 92 110 Clichy

Tél : 33 (0)1 47 56 31 00 Fax : 33(0)1 47 30 25 28

The UIT is a member of :

MEDEF
Industrial Federations Group (GFI),
Euratex