Leather and finished leather products group Cueros Vélez has confirmed that women now make up more than 50% of the employees at its in-house tannery in Amagá in the Colombian department of Antioquia, writes Leatherbiz

The company, which produces shoes and leather accessories from the leather it makes in Amagá, featured in a recent television news report that confirmed the statistics. It said 93 women were working in the tannery, making up 54% of the overall workforce there. Moreover, it said 90% of the women are local.

One of the local women working at the tannery, Paula Jaramillo, told the news channel that Cueros Vélez wanted to take part in local initiatives to help women find work opportunities in the area and provide them with training and support to help them inside the workplace and beyond.

A committee for equality in the town, which is 35 kilometres from the capital of Antioquia, Medellín, has said that finding jobs at Cueros Vélez has enabled local women to double their number of hours of paid employment. It also said this was helping to close a pay gap that it says is particularly large in rural areas.