The report Worker-Driven Social Responsibility: Exploring a New Model for Tackling Labour Abuse in Supply Chains, made by Focus on Labour Exploitation with support of the Freedom Fund, discusses the emergence of Worker-Driven Social Responsibility (WSR) as a response to increasing labour abuses in global supply chains. It highlights the decline of trade union power in the UK due to outsourcing, anti-union legislation, and deregulation, which has hindered their ability to protect workers’ rights. WSR offers a framework that empowers workers to negotiate directly with lead companies in supply chains, providing legally enforceable agreements that can address workplace abuses more effectively than traditional collective bargaining.
The report identifies significant opportunities for trade unions to leverage WSR as a tool for organising and advocating for workers, particularly in sectors characterized by precarious employment. It suggests that WSR can enhance labour market enforcement by involving state mechanisms and providing workers with avenues for reporting abuses. While WSR presents both opportunities and challenges, it has the potential to revitalise trade union strategies and improve labour conditions, especially in increasingly fragmented workplaces.
Click here or on the image below to access the report.
