IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/bwp/bwppap/ctg-2011-08.html

Back to the Future? A critical reflection on Neil Kearney’s mature systems of industrial relations perspective on the governance of outsourced apparel supply chains

Author

Listed:
  • Doug Miller
  • Simon Turner
  • Tom Grinter

Abstract

As the auditing model for assuring social compliance in apparel commodity chains is called into question, the global quest continues for institutions, policies and governance structures which can contribute towards the protection of worker rights, the promotion of decent work and an upgrading of working conditions and competencies. One such model, promoted by Neil Kearney, the late General Secretary of the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation, calls for the implementation of mature systems of industrial relations (MSIR) based on trade union recognition, procedural agreements and collective bargaining. This working paper charts the origins of MSIR, deconstructs the approach into its constituent elements and critically assesses these against the backdrop of governance debates in outsourced apparel production. Some conclusions and recommendations are drawn for a future research agenda.

Suggested Citation

  • Doug Miller & Simon Turner & Tom Grinter, 2012. "Back to the Future? A critical reflection on Neil Kearney’s mature systems of industrial relations perspective on the governance of outsourced apparel supply chains," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series ctg-2011-08, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    • Handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:ctg-2011-08
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.capturingthegains.org/pdf/ctg-wp-2011-08.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edmund Heery & Carola Frege, 2006. "New Actors in Industrial Relations," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(4), pages 601-604, December.
    2. Konstantinos Papadakis, 2008. "Research on transnational social dialogue and International Framework Agreements (IFAs)," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 147(1), pages 100-104, March.
    3. Towers, Brian, 1997. "The Representation Gap: Change and Reform in the British and American Workplace," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198289463.
    4. Vosko, Leah F., 2011. "Managing the Margins: Gender, Citizenship, and the International Regulation of Precarious Employment," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199575091.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Marco Marrone & Paolo Borghi, 2023. "Ai margini del sindacato, il sindacato nei margini: democratizzazione, demercificazione e disinquinamento tra alleanze possibili e nuove pratiche," ECONOMIA E SOCIET? REGIONALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2023(3), pages 35-52.
    2. Stephen Mustchin & Mathew Johnson & Marti Lopez‐Andreu, 2023. "Civil society organisations in and against the state: Advice, advocacy and activism on the margins of the labour market," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 117-131, March.
    3. Edmund Heery, 2018. "Fusion or replacement? Labour and the ‘new’ social movements," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 39(4), pages 661-680, November.
    4. Davide Però & John Downey, 2024. "Advancing Workers’ Rights in the Gig Economy through Discursive Power: The Communicative Strategies of Indie Unions," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(1), pages 140-160, February.
    5. Bob Carter, 2001. "Lessons from America: Changes in the US Trade Union Movement," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 15(1), pages 185-194, March.
    6. Berndt Keller, 2018. "The rise of professional unions in Germany. Challenge and threat for established industrial relations?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(3), pages 278-294, May.
    7. Stephen Machin, 2000. "Union Decline in Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 631-645, December.
    8. John H. Pencavel, 2004. "The Surprising Retreat of Union Britain," NBER Chapters, in: Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms, 1980–2000, pages 181-232, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Daryl D'Art & Thomas Turner, 2008. "Workers and the Demand for Trade Unions in Europe: Still a Relevant Social Force?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 29(2), pages 165-191, May.
    10. Jane Holgate, 2018. "The Sydney Alliance: A broad-based community organising potential for trade union transformation?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 39(2), pages 312-331, May.
    11. Mick Marchington & Jane Suter, 2013. "Where Informality Really Matters: Patterns of Employee Involvement and Participation (EIP) in a Non-Union Firm," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52, pages 284-313, January.
    12. Alan Tuckman & Jeremé Snook, 2014. "Between consultation and collective bargaining? The changing role of non-union employee representatives: a case study from the finance sector," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 77-97, January.
    13. repec:ilo:ilowps:374049 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. José Antonio Llosa & Esteban Agulló-Tomás, 2022. "Technodiscipline of Work: Does Post-Pandemic Platform Employment Generate New Psychosocial Risks?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-6, July.
    15. Michael Barry & Adrian Wilkinson, 2011. "Reconceptualising employer associations under evolving employment relations," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 25(1), pages 149-162, March.
    16. Rae Cooper & Chris Briggs, 2009. "`Trojan Horse' or `Vehicle for Organizing'? Non-Union Collective Agreement Making and Trade Unions in Australia," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 30(1), pages 93-119, February.
    17. Guido BONI, 2009. "Towards socially sensitive corporate restructuring? Comparative remarks on collective bargaining developments in Germany, France and Italy," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 148(1-2), pages 69-91, June.
    18. Daniel Oesch, 2012. "Recruitment, Retention and Exit from Union Membership. An Analysis of Member Flows in Swiss Union Locals," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 50(2), pages 287-307, June.
    19. Fang Cooke, 2014. "Chinese industrial relations research: In search of a broader analytical framework and representation," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 875-898, September.
    20. Marco Guerci & Roberta Sferrazzo & Federica Cabras & Giovanni Radaelli & Paolo X, 2022. "Organized Crime and Employment Relations: A Personal Story of ‘Ndrangheta Control on Employment Relations Management Practices in Southern Italy," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(4), pages 758-768, August.
    21. Charlwood, Andy, 2001. "Why do non-union employees want to unionise? Evidence from Britain," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 20116, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bwp:bwppap:ctg-2011-08. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Rowena Harding (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/wpmanuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.