South Korea's automotive labour regime, Hyundai Motors’ global production network and trade‐based integration with the European Union

This article explores the interrelationship between global production networks(GPNs) and free trade agreements (FTAs) in the South Korean auto industry and its employment relations. It focuses on the production network of the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) — the third biggest automobile manufacturer in the world — and the FTA between the EU and South Korea. This was the first of the EU’s ‘new generation’ FTAs, which among other things contained provisions designed to protect and promote labour standards. The article’s argument is twofold. First, that HMG’s production network and Korea’s political economy (of which HMG is a crucial part) limited the possibilities for the FTA’s labour provisions to take effect. Second, that the commercial provisions in this same FTA simultaneously eroded HMG’s domestic market and corporate profitability, leading to adverse consequences for auto workers in the more insecure and low-paid jobs. In making this argument, the article advances a multiscalar conceptualization of the labour regime as an analytical intermediary between GPNs and FTAs. It also provides one of the first empirical studies of the EU–South Korea FTA in terms of employment relations, drawing on 105 interviews with trade unions, employer associations, automobile companies and state officials across both parties

Protecting labor rights in preferential trade agreements: the role of trade unions, left governments, and skilled labor

This paper investigates variation in the design of labor provisions in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) by focusing on the power of trade unions, the role of government partisanship, and the relative strength of skilled labor. We expect strong trade unions and left-leaning governments to be associated with more, and more far-reaching labor provisions in PTAs. We also expect the strength of skilled workers relative to the strength of unskilled workers to negatively correlate with the depth of labor provisions in PTAs. In addition, the effect of trade unions should be conditional on both the presence of left government and democracy. We test these hypotheses relying on an original dataset of labor provisions included in 483 PTAs signed between 1990 and 2016. This dataset covers 140 different labor provisions that relate to six overarching dimensions. The quantitative analysis finds support for the expectations concerning the influence of trade unions and the role of a country’s skill profile

When workplace unionism in global value chains does not function well : exploring the impediments

Improving working conditions at the bottom of global value chains has become a central issue in our global economy. In this battle, trade unionism has been presented as a way for workers to make their voices heard. Therefore, it is strongly promoted by most social standards. However, establishing a well-functioning trade union is not as obvious as it may seem. Using a comparative case study approach, we examine impediments to farm-level unionism in the cut flower industry in Ethiopia. For this purpose, we propose an integrated framework combining two lenses, namely a vertical one (governance and structure of global value chains) and a horizontal one (socio-economic context). We identify 10 impediments that point to three major dimensions contributing to unionisation. These three dimensions include awareness of and interest from workers, legitimacy of trade unions, and capacity of trade unions to act. Furthermore, our results suggest that private social standards may, in certain cases, be counterproductive for the efficient functioning of trade unions. Although we argue that there is no ‘quick fix’ solution to weak workplace unionism at the bottom of global value chains, we stress the importance of considering the dynamics of, and interactions between, the impediments when designing potential support measures that mitigate negative impacts

Determinantes industriais da solidariedade transnacional: política intersindical global em três setores

Este artigo compara formas de transnacionalismo do trabalho em três setores: indústria automotiva; transporte marítimo; vestuário e indústria têxtil. Em cada caso, os sindicatos se envolvem em atividades transnacionais muito diferentes para reassumir o controle sobre o mercado de trabalho e a concorrência. Conforme as instituições de cooperação transnacional se tornam mais complexas, os sindicatos continuam a lutar com as tensões competitivas (trabalhador a trabalhador e sindicato a sindicato) que variam de uma indústria para a outra. This article compares forms of labour transnationalism in three industrial sectors: motor manufacturing, maritime shipping, and clothing and textile manufacturing. In each case, unions engage in very different transnational activities to reassert control over labour markets and competition. As institutions of transnational cooperation deepen, unions continue to struggle with competitive tensions (worker to worker and union to union) which vary from one industry to another

Renal Na-S-i cotransporter NaSi-1 is inhibited by heavy metals

Heavy metal intoxication leads to a number of reabsorptive and secretory defects in renal transport systems. We have studied the effects of several heavy metals on the expression of the renal Na-S(i) cotransporter NaSi-1. NaSi-1 cRNA was injected into Xenopus oocytes, and Na-S(i) cotransport activity was measured in the presence of mercury, lead, cadmium, or chromium. Mercury strongly inhibited NaSi-1 transport irreversibly by reducing both maximal velocity (V(max)) and Michaelis constant (K(m)) for inorganic sulfate (S(i)). Lead inhibited NaSi-1 transport reversibly by decreasing V(max) but not K(m) for S(i). Cadmium showed weak reversible inhibition of NaSi-1 transport by decreasing only NaSi-1 V(max). Chromium strongly inhibited NaSi- 1 cotransport reversibly by reducing K(m) for Si by sevenfold, most probably by binding to the S(i) site, due to the strong structural similarity between the CrO/ and SO/ substrates. In conclusion, this study presents an initial report demonstrating heavy metals inhibit renal brush border Na- S(i) cotransport via the NaSi-1 protein through various mechanisms and that this blockade may be responsible for sulfaturia following heavy metal intoxication