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Die Herstellung von Berufsbekleidung ist ein aufstrebender Sektor in der indischen Textilindustrie. Doch wie in der Modebranche kommt es zu gravierenden Arbeitsrechtsverletzungen. Durch faire Beschaffung kann die öffentliche Hand dazu beitragen, die Bedingungen zu verbessern. Das FEMNET-Factsheet fasst die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der zugehörigen Studie zusammen.

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Die Textilindustrie ist ein zentraler Wirtschaftssektor Tunesiens. Charakteristisch ist die starke Abhängigkeit vom europäischen Markt. Wie in der Modebranche kommt es zu gravierenden Arbeitsrechtsverletzungen. Durch faire Beschaffung kann die öffentliche Hand dazu beitragen, die Bedingungen zu verbessern. Das FEMNET-Factsheet fasst die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der zugehörigen Studie zusammen.

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Immer mehr Kommunen achten beim Einkauf bestimmter Waren, etwa Berufsbekleidung, auf die Einhaltung zumindest grundlegender Arbeitsrechte. Die große Marktmacht der öffentlichen Hand kann ein enormer Hebel sein, um Arbeitsbedingungen zu verbessern. Das FEMNET-Factsheet informiert über Missstände in der Produktion von Arbeitskleidung und wie Einkäufer*innen Verantwortung übernehmen können.

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Faced with limits of the dominant forms of private regulation, lead firms in global production networks (GPNs) are increasingly turning towards new approaches involving more collective and labour-inclusive approaches to tackle substandard labour conditions. Two notable examples of such new governance initiatives in the global garment industry are the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the   Bangladesh Accord)   developed in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster, and Action Collaboration Transformation (ACT), a living wage initiative spearheaded by a group of garment brands and retailers. What is unique about these agreements is that they are inclusive of trade unions (local and/or global) and transnational in nature, covering supply chains of multiple multinational corporations. These initiatives, which we term transnational collective industrial relations, stand in stark contrast to firm-specific, unilateral corporate codes of conduct, which have been the dominant model of private governance since the 1990s.

This paper explores evolving relationships among lead firms and other stakeholders in the emerging field of transnational industrial relations. Considering the experiences of major German and UK garment retailers and brands, we examine how involvement in transnational collective industrial relations has influenced lead firms’ relationships to other stakeholders, particularly rival firms and unions. Data considered is mainly based on interviews with German and UK garment lead firms and members of global union federations (GUFs). Initial findings indicate that lead firms increasingly view GUFs as important and legitimate partners for managing labour challenges in GPNs. Lead firms also positively describe intensified collaboration with rival firms. We discuss whether evolving interfirm and firm-union relations in the global garment industry can be seen as promising steps towards institutionalizing collective forms of transnational labour regulation with potentially better outcomes for labour standards. Through this research, we seek to contribute to the literature on global labour governance by shedding light on the foundation of new governance solutions, particularly the dynamically evolving relationships among lead firms and other stakeholders as collective actors.

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This paper examines whether the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013 has changed the approach by which German garment retailers govern their supply chains, particularly with regard to labour standards issues. We analyse institutional developments and firm-level initiatives that have resulted as a response to the Rana Plaza disaster and the heightened public attention that German garment retailers have received regarding labour standards. Our analysis is based   on   interviews   with   large   German   garment   brands   and   retailers   as   well   as representatives from multi-stakeholder initiatives, unions, and NGOs and on information available in public statements by institutional initiatives and industry statistics. On the institutional level, we find that massive political attempts to regulate labour standards in global supply chains have been initiated and describe these with regards to their aims as well as the actors involved. On the firm level, we observe a more multi-layered process, with some   firms being increasingly proactive regarding labour standards issues and others engaging more reluctantly in new initiatives and practices. We describe these patterns in detail and discuss them in light of the wider German institutional infrastructure in which lead firms are embedded. We thereby contribute to a better understanding of the German garment retail sector, in particular institutional and firm-level approaches governing labour standards in global garment supply chains in light of this country’s political economy.

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