Global supply chain workers need
international standard – unions press demands at International Labour
Conference
The ITF, its
member unions and its sister global unions are pressing at the International
Labour Conference (ILC) for an international standard on decent work in global
supply chains to benefit workers.
03/06/2016
Transport
workers are often the hidden workforce in global supply chains. They experience
serious abuses of their rights and working conditions, yet everyone depends on
them for the movement of every bit of cargo along the chain.
Delivering the
workers’ statement to the committee on decent work in global supply chains at
the ILC in Geneva, the FNV's Catelene Passchier said the debate was about
‘taking up, sharing, and executing responsibility. Not only for everything
under your direct control, but for everything that you can influence, because
it is linked to your activities…In global supply chains everyone is connected
but no-one is responsible… Power relations have clearly changed, a very
questionable business model has emerged.’
ITF
representatives at the ILC blamed this business model for labour abuses and
modern slavery in the fisheries supply chain and social dumping in Europe,
where, for example, lorry drivers working under collective agreements are
replaced by non-domiciled workers without agreements.
ITF general
secretary Steve Cotton and other global unions at the ILC are supporting
lobbying by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for an ILO
(International Labour Organization) convention on decent work in global supply
chains, to form the backbone of a new approach to labour regulation and
international enforcement.
They believe
this can be achieved by identifying governance gaps and building on existing
instruments. They point to the ILO’s historic Maritime Labour Convention 2006
as inspiration, which includes global provisions for labour inspection,
recruitment and the setting of minimum wages for seafarers.
Steve Cotton
said: “We wish to emphasise throughout this debate the two concepts the ITF is
promoting to drive accountability, responsibility and governance in global
supply chains. The ‘economic employer’ – the lead firm in the chain, which
applies pressure on transport workers through pricing, delivery times and
intense competition. And the ‘chain of responsibility’, which will help to
identify governance gaps along the chain and develop standards across
jurisdictions.”
The ILC is from
30 May to 10 June – follow progress on the ITUC website
Download the
ITUC report ‘Scandal: Inside the global supply chains of 50 top companies’
Discover the
findings of the ITUC Global Public Opinion Poll
on global
supply chains.
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