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

Estimates of the climate impact of future small-scale supersonic transport aircraft – results from the HISAC EU-project

The climate impacts of three fleets of supersonic small-scale transport aircraft (S4TA) are simulated. Based on characteristic aircraft parameters, which were developed within the EU-project HISAC, emissions along geographically representative trajectories are calculated and in addition the resulting changes in the atmospheric composition (carbon dioxide, ozone layer, water vapour) and climate (near surface global mean temperature) are deduced. We assume a fleet development with an entry in service in 2015, a full fleet in 2050. The results show a temperature increase of 0·08mK (0·07-0·10mK) with only small but statistically significant variations between the configurations, leading to a minimum climate impact for a weight optimised and hence lower flying aircraft. A climate impact ratio of 3·0 ± 0·4 between a S4TA and its subsonic counterpart is calculated, which is considerable less than for previous supersonic fleets because of a lower flight altitude, leading to smaller water vapour impacts

Analysis of power line communication networks using a new approach based on scattering parameters matrix

In this paper, the authors present a new approach based on scattering parameters matrix for the analysis of power line communication (PLC) signals in low voltage (LV) networks. The frequency spectrum associated with PLC signals extends from 1 MHz to 30 MHz. The low voltage network consists of multiconductor overhead lines and/or underground multiconductor cables. Dielectric and ohmic losses due to the presence of the ground are taken into account, and both differential- and common-mode propagations are studied. In the proposed formalism, the intrinsic properties of the transmission medium are fully described by the associated scattering parameters matrix. Hence, PLC signals along an entire LV network can be predicted by cascading the scattering parameters matrices associated with each line or cable. A computer code with a user-friendly graphical interface is developed which allows numerical simulation of PLC signals in LV networks. The simulation results are compared with measurements carried out on Swiss and French LV networks and a reasonable agreement is foun