Can solidarity be organized "from below" in global supply chains?: The case of ExChains

Nora Lohmeyer; Elke Schüßler; Markus Helfen

doi:10.3224/indbez.v25i4.02

Can solidarity be organized "from below" in global supply chains? The case of ExChains

Titel in Übersetzung: Kann Solidarität "von unten" in globalen Zuliefererketten organisiert werden? : Der Fall ExChains

Nora Lohmeyer
, Elke Schüßler
, Markus Helfen

Publikation: Beiträge in Zeitschriften › Zeitschriftenaufsätze › Forschung › Begutachtung

12 Zitate (Scopus)

Abstract

Globale Lieferketten in der Bekleidungsindustrie sind durch Arbeitsstandardverletzungen in ihren Produktionsbetrieben, aber auch zunehmend im Einzelhandel gekennzeichnet. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es wichtig, die Verhandlungsmacht von Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmern entlang der Lieferkette zu stärken. Ein Weg, dies zu erreichen, ist die Schaffung von transnationalen Beziehungen zwischen Arbeiterinnen und Arbeitern. Basierend auf der bestehenden Literatur zu transnationaler Solidarität hebt dieser Artikel die spezifischen Herausforderungen des Verständnisses von Solidarität im transnationalen Raum am Beispiel der globalen Bekleidungskette hervor. Dabei wird versucht, über „Solidarität“ als bloße Metapher für jegliche Form der transnationalen Zusammenarbeit zwischen Gewerkschaften und Arbeitnehmerinnen und Arbeitnehmern hinauszugehen und stattdessen die kulturell-normativen Dimensionen des Solidaritätsbegriffs als gegenseitige Bindung von Arbeiterinnen und Arbeitern zu verstehen. Am Fall des ExChains Netzwerks werden die Möglichkeiten und Herausforderungen der Schaffung und Aufrechterhaltung transnationaler Solidaritätsbeziehungen beispielhaft untersucht. Abschließend werden das transformative Potential, aber auch die Grenzen transnationaler Arbeiterinnen- und Arbeiter-Solidarität hinsichtlich der Arbeitsbedingungen in globalen Lieferketten diskutiert.

Titel in Übersetzung	Kann Solidarität "von unten" in globalen Zuliefererketten organisiert werden? : Der Fall ExChains
Originalsprache	Englisch
Zeitschrift	Industrielle Beziehungen
Jahrgang	25
Ausgabenummer	4
Seiten (von - bis)	400-424
Seitenumfang	25
ISSN	0943-2779
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3224/indbez.v25i4.02
Publikationsstatus	Erschienen - 17.12.2018
Extern publiziert	Ja

Bibliographische Notiz

Funding Information:
The ExChains network exists since 2002 and is part of a wider network called TIE (Transnational Information Exchange). ExChains’ financial situation is quite precarious. While the positions of two coordinators in Germany are financed via TIE, which itself is partially financed by the foundation “Menschenwürde und Arbeitswelt” through the Evange-lischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) as well as a private donor from the US who is sympathetic to TIE’s goals, the political work—mostly campaigns or meetings—has to be co-financed by third party funders, such as the Bewegungsstiftung or the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. The networks in Asia are partially funded by the respective unions but have also received funds from foundations such as the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. There are further sub-networks connected to TIE, which likewise try to organize transnational solidarity, such as the network “Eisenbahn ohne Grenzen,” which seeks to organize railway workers from West-Africa and France. Whereas TIE operates in different sectors, ExChains focuses on the global garment industry. The aim of the network is to build transnational solidarity among workers and, ulti- mately, to permanently change the global structure of the industry. The issues addressed by ExChains are diverse. In its current campaign, ExChains raises four demands: better fire and work protection, higher wages, trade union access rights, and supplier transparency. We argue that ExChains differs from other transnational initiatives because it decidedly aims to establish two-way bonds of solidarity among workers in garment production and retail.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Verlag Barbara Budrich.

UN SDGs

Dieser Output leistet einen Beitrag zu folgendem(n) Ziel(en) für nachhaltige Entwicklung

SDG 8 – Anständige Arbeitsbedingungen und wirtschaftliches Wachstum
SDG 10 – Weniger Ungleichheiten
SDG 12 – Verantwortungsvoller Konsum und Produktion
SDG 17 Partnerschaften für die Ziele

Fachgebiete und Schlagwörter

Betriebswirtschaftslehre
Arbeit
Zwangsarbeit
Arbeitsdiskriminierung
Arbeitsbedingungen

ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete

Industrial relations
Betriebswirtschaft und Internationales Management
Organisationslehre und Personalmanagement

Zugriff auf Dokument

10.3224/indbez.v25i4.02Lizenz: CC BY-NC-ND

Dieses zitieren

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abstract = "Global supply chains in the garment industry are marked by labour standard violations in factories as well as retail stores. Against this background it is important to strengthen the bargaining power of workers along the supply chain. Establishing direct relationships among workers along the supply chain could be one way to achieve this aim. This paper builds on extant literature on transnational solidarity and highlights the specific challenges of understanding solidarity in a transnational social space by looking at the empirical context of global garment supply chains. It hereby seeks to go beyond treating “solidarity” as a mere metaphor for any form of transnational union or worker cooperation, and instead engages with the cultural-normative dimensions of the concept as referring to mutual bonds among groups of workers. By looking at the case of the ExChains network, this paper examines some of the opportunities and challenges involved in establishing and maintaining transnational worker solidarity. The paper concludes by discussing the transformative potential, but also the limits of transnational labour solidarity regarding substandard working conditions in global supply chains.",

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