A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Von Broembsen, Marlese; Harvey, Jenna Working Paper Decent work for homeworkers in global supply chains: Existing and potential mechanisms for workercentred governance Global Labour University Working Paper, No. 54 Provided in Cooperation with: The Global Labour University (GLU) Suggested Citation: Von Broembsen, Marlese; Harvey, Jenna (2019) : Decent work for homeworkers in global supply chains: Existing and potential mechanisms for workercentred governance, Global Labour University Working Paper, No. 54, International Labour Organization (ILO), Geneva This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/206724 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. 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Editorial Board Patrick Belser (International Labour Organisation) Hansjörg Herr (Berlin School of Economics and Law, Germany) Frank Hoffer (Action, Collaboration, Transformation) Seeraj Mohamed (University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa) Rafael Peels (International Labour Organisation) Archana Prasad (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India) Helen Schwenken (University of Osnabrück, Germany) Michael Watt (International Labour Organisation) Marcelo Weishaupt Proni (Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Brazil) Contact Address Hochschule für Wirtschaft und Recht Berlin IMB - Prof. Hansjörg Herr Badensche Str. 52 D-10825 Berlin E-mail: [email protected] http://www.global-labour-university.org Layout: Harald Kröck DECENT WORK FOR HOMEWORKERS IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS: EXISTING AND POTENTIAL MECHANISMS FOR WORKER- CENTRED GOVERNANCE Marlese von Broembsen Jenna Harvey The responsibility for opinions expressed in the GLU working papers rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. 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Printed in Switzerland II GLU | Decent Work for Homeworkers in Global Supply Chains ABSTRACT As informal wage-workers who lack recognition and legal and social protections, homeworkers face a range of decent work deficits. This paper analyses the potential of existing national and global governance mechanisms to address four of these deficits for homeworkers in global supply chains: Instability and insecurity of work; unsafe working conditions; poor wages; and a lack of freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. We construct a typology that assesses each instruments' potential to address these decent work deficits in terms of: (a) the aspects of decent work that the instrument seeks to regulate; (b) the mechanisms that the instrument relies on to ensure compliance; and (c) the extent to which the instrument is legally enforceable, and by whom. Arguing for a plural, over-overlapping concept of governance – hard and soft, operating at national, regional and international levels – we offer suggestions for improving the instruments that hold most promise for protecting homeworkers. The paper concludes that enforcement of the provisions in these instruments that protect homeworkers is contingent upon strong social movements and, most importantly, the recognition and incorporation of representative organizations of homeworkers into governance processes. III GLU | Decent Work for Homeworkers in Global Supply Chains TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 2. HOMEWORKERS: PREVALENCE, PRINCIPAL SECTORS AND DECENT WORK DEFICITS ................................................................................................... 2 3. LEARNING FROM THE STRATEGIES OF HOME-BASED WORKERS ........... 6 4. A TYPOLOGY OF GOVERNANCE MECHANISMS ............................................ 8 4.1 International versus national law .................................................................. 8 4.2 Hard versus soft law ........................................................................................... 9 5. INTERNATIONAL, HARD LAW: ILO CONVENTION 177 ............................... 12 6. INTERNATIONAL SOFT LAW ............................................................................... 13 6.1 Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives ................................... 13 6.1.1 Corporate codes of labour practice and private audits ..................... 13 6.1.2 Multi-stakeholder initiatives: Ethical Trading Initiative and Fair Wear Foundation ......................................................................................... 15 6.1.3 United Nations Global Compact ................................................................ 17 6.2 Multilateral initiatives ...................................................................................... 18 6.2.1 United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights ................................................................................................................ 18 6.2.2 ILO Multinational Enterprise (MNE) Declaration .................................. 20 6.2.3 The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises ............................ 21 7. INTERNATIONAL LAW: COMBINATION HARD AND SOFT LAW ............. 24 7.1 Legal status of the Global Framework Agreements ............................. 24 7.2 Global Framework Agreement between H&M and IndustriALL ...... 25 8. NATIONAL HARD LAW .......................................................................................... 26 8.1 Inclusion of homeworkers in existing national employment legislation ........................................................................................................ 27 8.2 Specific legislation for homeworkers ......................................................... 27 8.3 Specific legislation for supply chains ........................................................