Brazilian leather and shoe trade associations have announced that they will support a "Pro Shoe and Leather Industry Demonstration" when approximately 2,000 unemployed workers will travel to Brasilia to protest about the closures of hundreds of shoe factories that have occurred since December 2005. The demonstrators claim that these closures are a direct result of the government’s economic policies.

The associations that have voiced their support of the demonstration include  the Industry and Trade Associations of Novo Hamburgo, Campo Bom and Estância Velha (ACI); the Brazilian Association of Manufacturers of Machinery and Equipment for the Leather, Footwear and Allied Trades (Abrameq); the Brazilian Association of Manufacturers of Footwear and Related Goods (Abicalçados); the Brazilian Association of Manufacturers of Leather and Shoe  Components (Assintecal); and the Association of Tanners of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (AicSul).

The demonstration is set to take place on May 10, when workers from all over the Vale do Sinos region will travel to Brasilia. The protesters plan to hand out leaflets and display industrial machinery that is no longer in use.