an Eldis Resource
Progress not perfection: 10 years of making an impact
Ethical supply chain management: a review of 10 years
Authors:
R. Hurst; M. Buttle; H. Murdoch
Publisher:
Impactt, 2007
This report reviews how debates and issues concerning labour standards and ethical supply chain management have evolved over the past ten years and also looks at Impactt's own involvement and work on these issues. It also draws key lessons from a series of case studies covering the most entrenched issues in tackling labour standards.
The study finds that major challenges remain in all countries and sectors whereassessments were conducted, particularly in the following two areas:
- the use of temporary, migrant, and agency workers are often forced to accept pay and work conditions far below local norms, and pressure on suppliers to provide high value at low cost increases the potential for abuse of these workers
- while freedom of association and collective bargaining provides workers with a highly effective method for workers to combat workplace injustices, it is, however, is a rarity.
Recommendations to purchasing companies aiming to make real and sustainable improvements in labour conditions in their supply chains include:
- ensure ethical codes and strategies explicitly cover migrant, temporary and agency workers
- where freedom of association is not restricted by law, actively encourage suppliers to sign access agreements with trade unions allowing union organisers access to employees during working time to discuss trade union member ship;
- where trade unions are allowed, sign a ‘non-interference guarantee’ formally committing not to victimise trade union organisers and to permit the formation of an organising committee without hindrance or victimisation
- where freedom of association is restricted by law encourage, on the other hand, factories and suppliers should develop independent worker representative bodies.
