Protecting Labour Rights in a multi-polar supply chain and mobile global economy

Production of both goods and services is rapidly becoming dependent on a global labour system in which firms and workers from different parts of the world are connected to one another through supply or value chains. This splintering ineluctably generates an impact on the working conditions of those involved in the production process. Notwithstanding the existence of a significant number of international rules and enforcement mechanisms, enforcement gaps and loopholes remain, and violations of labour rights are endemic in many parts of the world. In this important volume, nine studies identify the complexities of protecting labour rights in such a fragmented economy and assess the role, both actual and potential, of ILO standards as well as public, private, and public-private initiatives in countering the potentially negative impact of international trade and investment flows on labour rights. The editor’s powerfully summative introduction and conclusion pinpoint the crucial issues confronting labour law in this context, highlighting the need for policy coordination and coherence. Among the topics and issues raised in the book are the following:- empirical studies of migrant workers employed in global supply chains;- international recruitment intermediaries;- governance through hierarchy vs. governance through networks;- trade sustainable impact assessments (SIAs);- the so-called ‘governance triangle’ – the state, companies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); - corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives; and - the OECD’s national contact points (NCPs).Production of both goods and services is rapidly becoming dependent on a global labour system in which firms and workers from different parts of the world are connected to one another through supply or value chains. This splintering ineluctably generates an impact on the working conditions of those involved in the production process. Notwithstanding the existence of a significant number of international rules and enforcement mechanisms, enforcement gaps and loopholes remain, and violations of labour rights are endemic in many parts of the world. In this important volume, nine studies identify the complexities of protecting labour rights in such a fragmented economy and assess the role, both actual and potential, of ILO standards as well as public, private, and public-private initiatives in countering the potentially negative impact of international trade and investment flows on labour rights. The editor’s powerfully summative introduction and conclusion pinpoint the crucial issues confronting labour law in this context, highlighting the need for policy coordination and coherence. Among the topics and issues raised in the book are the following:- empirical studies of migrant workers employed in global supply chains;- international recruitment intermediaries;- governance through hierarchy vs. governance through networks;- trade sustainable impact assessments (SIAs);- the so-called ‘governance triangle’ – the state, companies, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); - corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives; and - the OECD’s national contact points (NCPs).B