Labour-Practice Responses to Ethical-Trading Codes of Conduct at Sites of Production: A Case Study of the Sri Lankan Apparel Sector

Lead Research Organisation: University of Southampton
Department Name: School of Geography

Abstract

Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
 
Description 1) The favourable socio-development context within Sri Lanka has made upholding global governance regimes possible. Hard won historical gains for labour rights made by labour movements, a development trajectory which has emphasized social and human development, and appropriate legal frameworks has offered the necessary conditions to enable the apparel industry to draw upon and uphold important aspects of ethical codes.



2) There is much to be applauded in the important strides the apparel industry has taken to initiate and implement ethical code regimes at production facilities. Yet, it is also important to acknowledge that initiatives, such as the 'garment without guilt campaign', owe their ability to posture themselves as such because of broader and favourable background conditions. In this regard, the Sri Lankan apparel industry's ability to sustain its niche marketing strategy will also depend, in no small part, on the commitment that the Sri Lankan state shows towards sustaining a social development framework.



3) While the apparel industry upholds certain codes widely - for instance the non-use of child labour, providing regular employment - it is culpable of not upholding codes relating to the living wage and freedom of association. There are also a few other codes which tend to be grey areas, as there are variations in the ways in which codes are practiced on the factory floor.



4) The Sri Lankan state also needs to be held accountable for neglecting the conditions which make upholding ethical codes related to living wages and freedom of association less likely. The fact that the Wages Ordinance Board annual wage increments never keep pace with changes in the cost of living (inflation rate) in the country is a crucial factor that makes it difficult for workers to earn a living wage. Similarly, the State's wilful role in disregarding workers freedom to associate and collectively bargain are also important factors needing attention in the context of multi-stakeholder initiatives on global governance.
Exploitation Route 1. Given my prior work experience at the ILO in Geneva, Switzerland, my research has been disseminated among various departments within the head office, including the Employment Sector, Integration/Policy Coherence Group, Conditions of Work, and ILO-Better Work. Relevant researchers within the ILO have used my research outputs in their working papers and policy documents; some colleagues have requested my feedback on their activities;

2. My working paper has been circulated to international pressure groups, including Clean Clothes Campaign, Maquiladora Health and Safety Support Network, WWW, FES - Germany, Fair Labour Association, War on Want;

3. The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has my working paper and project web-page hosted on their web-portal. This way, it reached private sector firms involved in the consulting side of improving labour rights (IMPACTT, Just Solutions Network);

4. Workers involved in the research have been impacted by this research, because our on-going conversations have meant their awareness of ethical codes, labour issues, rights and conditions have sharpened;

5. In Sri Lanka, by working with a local research organization, we have been able to engage with activists to discuss our findings with them;

6. By a broadsheet local newspaper in Sri Lanka carrying the main findings of my research, positively and negatively (see below), my research findings have reached a broad church of people. It has also meant reaching out to the larger industry - beyond those suppliers with whom I have engaged and shared my evolving research findings;

7. My research has also been disseminated among local labour rights organizations, such as Dabindu, Women's Centre, Right to Life, OXFAM, members of ALARM, etc; and relevant unions;

8. The ILO and UNDP in Sri Lanka invited me to carry out in-house training seminar to make mid-level professionals aware of the nuances of implementing ethical codes regimes and how they interact with industrial relations.
Sectors Manufacturing

including Industrial Biotechology

Retail

Other
URL https://www.soton.ac.uk/geography/research/projects/labour_practice_responses.page?
 
Description Evaluating Ethical Workplace Standards: Corporate and Public Sector Workwear from Karachi, Pakistan 
Organisation Newcastle University
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Evaluation Report to Apparel Sector Stakeholders - Suppliers and Buyers
Start Year 2012
 
Description "Ethical" clothing across the scales : voices from South Asia 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Workshop for retailers, practitioners in the field and students.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description A single slight man : negotiation and resistance of disciplined control in a factory premise of Sri Lanka 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Invited Seminar at the School of Global Studies, University of Sussex
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Codes of conduct : gendered perspectives of apparel sector workers on ethical initiatives 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation made at South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2012
 
Description Ethical codes, labour practices and South Asia's development (via Sri Lanka) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presented at School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Ethical trade and labor practices in Sri Lanka's apparel sector 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact UNDP - Sri Lanka In-House Seminar organized by the Learning Committee for UNDP programme managers and policy analysts.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Ethical trading, global economic crisis & management experiences : the Sri Lankan story 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact International Labour Office (Geneva), in-house seminar on 'Decent Work' for tri-partite actors, including high-level civil servants from the Sri Lankan Mission in Geneva, Switzerland
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Garments without guilt? : ethical trade and labor practices in Sri Lanka's apparel sector 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation to academic staff and graduate students.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description It's the (household) economy, stupid! : pension reform, collective resistance and the reproductive sphere in Sri Lanka 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Presentation for Workshop on "The Global Political Economy of the Household in Asia", Griffith University, Australia, September 2012.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Labour and globalization : men, masculinities & everyday violence at apparel production sites 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact A presentation made at an organized and invited event by UNDP-UNIFEM in Bangkok, Thailand on "Conflict, Masculinities & Enhancing Responses for Gender-Based Violence Prevention Workshop"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Occupational hazards : local readings of 'global' health & safety standards (the apparel sector in Sri Lanka) 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Paper presented at the ESRC Workshop on 'Working for the Export Markets: Labour Livelihoods in Global Production Networks"
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity
 
Description Politics of pension reform : a feminist reading of collective resistance 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Primary Audience
Results and Impact Seminar presentation to Development Studies graduate students and academics.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity