Pittards feature in TUC conference film

Leeds leather manufacturers Pittards have been chosen to feature in a film to be shown at the Trades Union Congress Conference in September. Pittards have established exemplary relationships with KFAT, the textiles union to which many of the Pittards' employees belong. The film being made is to be shown on the first day of the TUC Conference and will highlight co-operation between union and employers. KFAT sees the relationship with Pittards as the model for how employers and unions should work together and a major aspect of the film will be the new union learning centre established earlier this year on the factory floor. Paul Gates, the General Secretary of KFAT, was the major advocate for the learning centre at Pittards and will be involved in the making of the film. The Learning Centre is a dedicated IT learning room for employees and was developed as a partnership project between the TUC, KFAT and Pittards. Steve Johnson, managing director of Pittards in Leeds, said: 'Manufacturing in Britain today is tough with very stiff foreign competition. Our philosophy has always been to work closely and openly with all sectors of our business, from unions and employees to our partners spread across the world. A good union-employer relationship is essential. Here at Pittards we are a recognised world leader and much of this success must be attributed to the close rapport that has been established over a long period between the unions and ourselves.' Pittards are a world leader in the development of beautiful leathers with advanced technical properties such as water repellency and increased flexibility. Their products are in demand from the world's top brands such as Puma, Adidas, Nike and New Balance. The company export 80% of their leather to over 30 countries and have received numerous business awards including the recent HSBC Exporter of the Year and Royal Bank of Scotland Innovator of the Year.