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Private Regulation and Trade Union Rights: Why Codes of Conduct Have Limited Impact on Trade Union Rights

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  • Niklas Egels-Zandén
  • Jeroen Merk

Abstract

Codes of conduct are the main tools to privately regulate worker rights in global value chains. Scholars have shown that while codes may improve outcome standards (such as occupational health and safety), they have had limited impact on process rights (such as freedom of association and collective bargaining). Scholars have, though, only provided vague or general explanations for this empirical finding. We address this shortcoming by providing a holistic and detailed explanation, and argue that codes, in their current form, have limited impact on trade union rights due to (i) buyers paying lip service to trade union rights, (ii) workers being treated as passive objects of regulation in codes of conduct, (iii) auditing being unable to detect and remediate violations of trade union rights, (iv) codes emphasizing parallel means of organizing, (v) suppliers having limited incentives for compliance, and (vi) codes being unable to open up space for union organizing when leveraged in grassroots struggles. Our arguments suggest that there is no quick fix for codes’ limited impact on trade union rights, and that codes, in their current form, have limited potential to improve trade union rights. We conclude by discussing ways in which codes of conduct, and private regulation of worker rights more generally, could be transformed to more effectively address trade union rights. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

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  • Niklas Egels-Zandén & Jeroen Merk, 2014. "Private Regulation and Trade Union Rights: Why Codes of Conduct Have Limited Impact on Trade Union Rights," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 123(3), pages 461-473, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:123:y:2014:i:3:p:461-473
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1840-x
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    5. Christian Lévesque & Marc-Antonin Hennebert & Gregor Murray & Reynald Bourque, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Worker Rights: Institutionalizing Social Dialogue Through International Framework Agreements," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(1), pages 215-230, November.
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    7. Niklas Egels-Zandén, 2017. "Responsibility Boundaries in Global Value Chains: Supplier Audit Prioritizations and Moral Disengagement Among Swedish Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(3), pages 515-528, December.
    8. Jodi L. Short & Michael W. Toffel & Andrea R. Hugill, 2020. "Improving Working Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Role of Institutional Environments and Monitoring Program Design," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 73(4), pages 873-912, August.
    9. Juliane Reinecke & Jimmy Donaghey, 2021. "Political CSR at the Coalface – The Roles and Contradictions of Multinational Corporations in Developing Workplace Dialogue," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 457-486, March.
    10. Chikako Oka, 2016. "Improving working conditions in garment supply chains: The role of unions in Cambodia," Post-Print hal-02952169, HAL.
    11. Gansemans, A. & D'Haese, M., 2018. "Flying under the radar: The impact of plantation workers job insecurity on perceived labour agency," 2018 Conference, July 28-August 2, 2018, Vancouver, British Columbia 277742, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    12. Rémi Bourguignon & Pierre Garaudel & Simon Porcher, 2020. "Global Framework Agreements and Trade Unions as Monitoring Agents in Transnational Corporations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 517-533, September.
    13. Chikako Oka, 2018. "Brands as labour rights advocates? Potential and limits of brand advocacy in global supply chains," Post-Print hal-02952138, HAL.
    14. Céline Louche & Lotte Staelens & Marijke D’Haese, 2020. "When Workplace Unionism in Global Value Chains Does Not Function Well: Exploring the Impediments," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 379-398, March.
    15. Juliane Reinecke & Jimmy Donaghey, 2021. "Towards Worker‐Driven Supply Chain Governance: Developing Decent Work Through Democratic Worker Participation," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 57(2), pages 14-28, April.
    16. Jean‐Christophe Graz & Jimena Sobrino Piazza & André Walter, 2022. "Labour Standards in Global Production Networks: Assessing Transnational Private Regulation and Workers’ Capacity to Act," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 53(4), pages 912-937, July.
    17. Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli & Md. Aminul Islam & Farid Ahammad Sobhani & Shafiqur Rahman & Md. Sharif Hassan, 2022. "Auditing and Sustainability Accounting: A Global Examination Using the Scopus Database," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Sarosh Kuruvilla & Chunyun Li, 2021. "Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining in Global Supply Chains: A Research Agenda," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 57(2), pages 43-57, April.
    19. Jean-Christophe Graz & Nicole Helmerich & Cécile Prébandier, 2020. "Hybrid Production Regimes and Labor Agency in Transnational Private Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 162(2), pages 307-321, March.
    20. Shahidur Rahman & Kazi Mahmudur Rahman, 2020. "Multi‐actor Initiatives after Rana Plaza: Factory Managers’ Views," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 51(5), pages 1331-1359, September.
    21. Venkatesh, V.G. & Zhang, Abraham & Deakins, Eric & Mani, Venkatesh, 2021. "Antecedents of social sustainability noncompliance in the Indian apparel sector," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    22. Annelien Gansemans & Marijke D’Haese, 2020. "Staying under the radar: constraints on labour agency of pineapple plantation workers in Costa Rica?," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 37(2), pages 397-414, June.
    23. Fabiola MIERES & Siobhán MCGRATH, 2021. "Ripe to be heard: Worker voice in the Fair Food Program," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 160(4), pages 631-647, December.
    24. Elsa Underhill & Dimitria Groutsis & Diane Broek & Malcolm Rimmer, 2018. "Migration Intermediaries and Codes of Conduct: Temporary Migrant Workers in Australian Horticulture," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 153(3), pages 675-689, December.

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