The crisis in the leather industry strikes again. In Argentina, Curtiembre Arlei has laid off one hundred employees. As highlighted by the local press, the worsening production situation—now in decline—has made the company’s financial situation extremely complex. Located in Las Toscas (Santa Fe), the chrome tanning plant employs over 1,000 workers, with a production capacity of approximately 8,500 hides per day and 200,000 hides per month. Since 2024, Arlei has laid off more than one hundred employees, sixty of whom stopped working in the first two months of 2025.
Arlei lays off workers
Curtiembre Arlei’s situation mirrors the overall trend of the sector in Argentina, caught between the grip of recession—draining spending capacity—and an international demand for finished leather that is not at its peak. In 2000, for instance, 10,000 hides were produced daily, whereas today, only 4,500 are manufactured. As a result, Arlei has dismissed one hundred employees who will no longer be part of the workforce. In addition to this, a large number of workers will face rotating suspensions from their jobs, and salaries—previously paid fortnightly—will now be divided into weekly instalments. However, these payments will include a percentage increase in wages, as negotiated in collective bargaining talks between the union and the company.
The company’s history
Specialising in the processing of bovine leather, Curtiembre Arlei exports to Europe, Asia, Australia, the United States, and Mexico. In addition to its plant in Las Toscas and its headquarters in Buenos Aires, the company also operates a vegetable tanning facility located in the province of Salta.
Photo: Curtiembre Arlei
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