Under the regime of private company or multi-stakeholder voluntary codes of conduct and industry social auditing, workers have absorbed low wages and unsafe and abusive conditions; labour leaders and union members have become the targets of both government and factory harassment and violence; and trade union power has waned. Nowhere have these private systems of codes and audits so clearly failed to protect workers as in Bangladesh’s apparel industry. However, international labour groups and Bangladeshi unions have succeeded in mounting a challenge to voluntarism in the global economy, persuading more than 180 companies to make a binding and enforceable commitment to workers’ safety in an agreement with 12 unions.
The extent to which this Bangladesh Accord will be able to influence the entrenched global regime of voluntary codes and weak trade unions remains an open question. But if the Accord can make progress in Bangladesh, it can help to inspire similar efforts in other countries and in other industries.
This report offers seven recommendations, such as developing incentives for businesses to thoroughly and continually monitor their supply chains for the use of child labour and forced labour, and to share best practices. It also recommends the Gover...Read More
At the request of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Levin Sources conducted this mapping (mainly desk research) of interventions (projects and initiatives) to address child labour and poor working conditions (either directly or indirectly...Read More
This report provides actionable recommendations to the U.S. government for its work both nationally and internationally, as it cooperates with state and local governments, NGOs, faithbased organizations, community members, businesses, and philanthr...Read More
Social protection programmes have effectively reduced poverty and improved food security. However, the effects of poverty require an intersectoral approach to adequately address poor nutrition and health. Identifying gaps in knowledge and access to ...Read More
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