Legal Sanction, International Organisations and the Bangladesh Accord

We use recent research and two 2018 arbitration cases to argue that the 2013 Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety represents a regulatory model that is in principle worthy of extension to other countries and sectors. It has achieved considerable membership from purchasing multinationals and other stakeholders, and has successfully secured major improvements to building safety so far. It implicitly challenges arguments in favour of non-legally supported approaches. We argue that its legal basis is the crucial underlying component of its success and has in significant respects been strengthened in its revised 2018 iteration. In view of the weakness of local worker voice, the involvement of the Global Union Federations, acting in collaboration with non-governmental organisations, was important in securing the benefits achieved. Such an alliance appears a necessary condition for the model’s extension