The art of using supply chains to defend worker rights

“Supply chains have been heavily criticised since the onset of COVID-19, as shortages of PPE and other medical equipment have laid bare the vulnerabilities they create for consumers. But labour …

Why women’s right to health and gender equality should be your business

“In order to address existing inequalities exacerbated by the pandemic, companies should make a serious effort in reducing the gender pay gap, upholding maternity provisions, tackling gender bias, and reducing …

Creating a level playing field? Athletes turning to courts to protect their employment law rights

Athletes are bringing claims to assert their statutory employment rights in courts and employment tribunals, from Australia to the United States (and many places in between). Cases show a global …

IT’S TIME TO STOP LOOKING TO BRANDS TO SAVE US

When “sustainable style” blogger Leah Wise first heard about the mass layoffs and rumors of union-busting happening at Everlane, she cried. An early adopter of the brand, Wise had been buying …

ILO: Resolution concerning maritime labour issues and the COVID-19 pandemic

ILO Governing Body calls for urgent action on seafarer COVID-19 crisis: “The Governing Body of the International Labour Organization has taken the exceptional action of adopting a Resolution to address …

Made for this Moment: How ILO Convention 190 Addresses Gender-Based Violence and Harassment in the World of Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond

“INTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATION (ILO) CONVENTION 190 (“ILO Convention 190”) is the first global, binding treaty that recognizes the fundamental right to a world of work free from violence and harassment. …

UN urges countries to designate ship crews as ‘key workers’

With the coronavirus pandemic stranding nearly 400,000 merchant seamen at sea, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a resolution Tuesday urging all nations to designate those working on ships as “key …

Does Private Labor Regulation Work? Probably Not

Forced to rely on the results that most fashion brands share on their websites, the picture is more Monet than (early) Manet, more romance than realism. But where monitors and …

From a ‘Moral Commentator’ to a ‘Determined Actor’? How the International Labour Organization (ILO) Orchestrates the Field of International Industrial Relations

“Collective action on the part of the International Labour Organization (ILO) has always been dependent on the ability of the International Labour Office, the permanent secretariat of the ILO, to …

Getting Beyond Tier 1: Using a systems approach to improve working conditions in global supply chains

“Engaging with suppliers beyond tier one is particularly challenging. But it is vital, as the biggest social and environmental risks often lie hidden further down the supply chain. The ILO …