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 analysis of modern slavery statements focuses on changes in reporting and practice in addressing forced labour and human trafficking. Some key findings Under the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015, companies with a financial turnover of over £3...Read More
For the first time, comprehensive data is available for human trafficking and high risk migration routes relating to Kenya. The data identifies 38 countries as origin, transit and destination locations for abuse of victims - including eight countrie...Read More
The report is an industry-focused analysis of the Malaysian palm oil industry with specific insights into the industry’s governance and investment framework, relevant labour laws that apply to migrant workers in the industry and various dispute res...Read More
The coronavirus pandemic and resulting government actions to stem the spread of the virus have severely changed the way people across the world work and live. For Jordan’s garment sector, the national curfew and shutdown of business activity force...Read More
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