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Power relations in global supply chains and the unequal distribution of costs during crises: Abandoning garment suppliers and workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Author

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  • Mark ANNER

Abstract

In early 2020, apparel brands and retailers cancelled US$40 billion worth of orders, with critical consequences for suppliers and workers. Their actions illustrate the power asymmetries in global supply chains and the unequal distribution of costs during crises. This article explores these dynamics through original survey data, supplier questionnaires, stakeholder interviews, a time‐line analysis and trade data analysis. Findings point to certain limits of buyer power, reflected in the effective collaboration between suppliers and worker rights advocates in the “#PayUp” campaign. Yet buyers retain the power to squeeze suppliers with adverse impacts on workers, thus leading to calls for binding agreements.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark ANNER, 2022. "Power relations in global supply chains and the unequal distribution of costs during crises: Abandoning garment suppliers and workers during the COVID‐19 pandemic," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(1), pages 59-82, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:intlab:v:161:y:2022:i:1:p:59-82
    DOI: 10.1111/ilr.12337
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Butollo, Florian & Staritz, Cornelia & Maile, Felix & Wuttke, Tobias, 2025. "The End of Globalized Production? Supply-Chain Resilience, Technological Sovereignty, and Enduring Global Interdependencies in the Post-Pandemic Era," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 51(4-5), pages 779-798.
    3. Wasantha Rajapakshe & D S M Karunaratna & W H G Ariyaratne & H A Lakshani Madushika & G S K Perera & P Shamila, 2023. "Aggressive strategies of the COVID-19 pandemic on the apparel industry of Sri Lanka using structural equation modeling," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(6), pages 1-19, June.
    4. Aysha Siddika & Peter Lund-Thomsen & Anita Hammer & Marie Vahl & Rayat, 2024. "‘Our Backs Are Against the Wall’: The Story of a Bangladeshi Woman Garment Worker in the COVID-19 ‘New Normal’," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(6), pages 1725-1735, December.
    5. Sarah Cook & Uma Rani, 2025. "Platform Work in Developing Economies: Can Digitalisation Drive Structural Transformation?," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 68(2), pages 395-416, June.
    6. Karmaker, Chitra Lekha & Bari, A.B.M. Mainul & Anam, Md. Zahidul & Ahmed, Tazim & Ali, Syed Mithun & de Jesus Pacheco, Diego Augusto & Moktadir, Md. Abdul, 2023. "Industry 5.0 challenges for post-pandemic supply chain sustainability in an emerging economy," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 258(C).

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