Synergistic state governance of labour standards in global value chains: Forced labour in the Malaysia-Nepal-UK medical gloves supply chain

Drawing on research into medical gloves global value chains (GVCs), this article examines the interacting roles that states differently positioned in GVCs have played in preventing and eliminating forced labour. Our case study, based on a worker survey and semi-structured interviews across GVC actors, focuses on forced labour in the Malaysian medical gloves sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, linking production in Malaysia, end markets in the UK (primarily through procurement for the National Health Service), and migrant-sending countries, especially Nepal. We analyze the intermeshing effects of the different roles of states, operating at either the horizontal or vertical level of GVC governance, in terms of contributing to issues of forced labour. We identify three state roles in the Malaysia-UK medical gloves chain: producer state (Malaysia), migrant-sending state (Nepal) and regulator-buyer state (UK). We also identify some of the most persistent barriers to resolving forced labour in the value chain. Our research illustrates that Malaysia’s complex regulatory, political and institutional dynamics most directly influence forced labour in gloves production, but Nepal’s migration policies and the UK’s healthcare procurement practices also create forced labour risk in Malaysia. Advancing Gereffi and Lee’s (2016: 25) notion of “synergistc governance” and Jessop’s (2016) strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state, we thus argue that the creation of sustained and positive regulatory synergies among states differently positioned in GVCs is necessary for the prevention and elimination of forced labour

A erradicação do trabalho escravo até 2030 e os desafios da vigilância em saúde do trabalhador

A erradicação das formas contemporâneas de escravidão é uma relevante questão científica, social e institucional. De fato, esforços globais têm sido feitos para compreender, mapear e eliminar a escravidão contemporânea, como um dos objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável das Nações Unidas até 2030. Entretanto, pouca atenção tem sido dada para o lugar da vigilância em saúde do trabalhador (VISAT) nas estratégias e lutas pela erradicação dessas relações de exploração. Para suprir essa lacuna, este artigo discute o trabalho escravo contemporâneo (TEC) e suas especificidades no Brasil, na perspectiva da VISAT. Inicialmente, destacamos as relações entre trabalho escravo, saúde do/a trabalhador/a e a vigilância em saúde e, em seguida, apresentamos três desafios da vigilância para o enfretamento do TEC: (1) o desafio de caracterizar setores econômicos, regiões e populações afetadas; (2) de identificar determinantes, riscos e efeitos à saúde; (3) e de fortalecer práticas e serviços de saúde do trabalhador para desencadear ações de formação, informação e intervenção em regiões de maior presença de TEC. Conclui-se que a vigilância em saúde do trabalhador pode trazer contribuições significativas para emancipação de trabalhadores em contextos de trabalho escravo. Eradicating modern slavery is a relevant scientific, social, and institutional challenge issue. Indeed, efforts are being made at a global scale to understand and eradicate contemporary slavery as a target of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. However, little attention has been given to the Worker Health Surveillance (WHS) in the struggle against contemporary forms of slavery. To fill this gap, the paper discuss contemporary slave labour (CSL) from a workers health surveillance perspective, calling attention to challenges evident in the case of Brazil. Further, we explain the connection of CSL to workers health and to workers health surveillance (WHS). We then identify and discuss three challenges of CSL to WHS: 1. help to characterise and identify economic sectors and populations most affected by slave labour; 2. identify determinants, risks, and health effects related to CSL; and 3. strengthen workers health services to trigger specific actions in terms of formation, information, and intervention in regions of high CSL prevalence. We conclude that Workers Health Surveillance can play an important role towards workers emancipation slavery relations

Synergistic state governance of labour standards in global value chains: Forced labour in the Malaysia–Nepal–UK medical gloves supply chain

Drawing on research into medical gloves global value chains (GVCs), this article examines the interacting roles that states differently positioned in GVCs have played in preventing and eliminating forced labour. Our case study, based on a worker survey and semi-structured interviews across GVC actors, focuses on forced labour in the Malaysian medical gloves sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, linking production in Malaysia, end markets in the UK (primarily through procurement for the National Health Service) and migrant-sending countries, especially Nepal. We analyze the intermeshing effects of the different roles of states, operating at either the horizontal or vertical level of GVC governance, in terms of contributing to issues of forced labour. We identify three state roles in the Malaysia–UK medical gloves chain: producer state (Malaysia), migrant-sending state (Nepal) and regulator-buyer state (UK). We also identify some of the most persistent barriers to resolving forced labour in the value chain. Our research illustrates that Malaysia’s complex regulatory, political and institutional dynamics most directly influence forced labour in gloves production, but Nepal’s migration policies and the UK’s healthcare procurement practices also create forced labour risk in Malaysia. Advancing Gereffi and Lee’s (2016: 25) notion of “synergistc governance” and Jessop’s (2016) strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state, we thus argue that the creation of sustained and positive regulatory synergies among states differently positioned in GVCs is necessary for the prevention and elimination of forced labour

Ethical Leadership Supports Safety Voice by Increasing Risk Perception and Reducing Ethical Ambiguity: Evidence from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Misconduct by business and political leaders during the pandemic is feared to have impacted on people’s adherence to protective measures that would help to safeguard against the spread of COVID-19. Addressing this concern, this paper theorizes and tests a model linking ethical leadership with workplace risk communication – a practice referred to as ‘safety voice’ in the research literature. Our study, conducted with 511 employees from UK companies, revealed that ethical leadership is positively associated with greater intention to engage in safety voice regarding COVID-19. We also find that this association is mediated by relations with the perceived health risk of COVID-19 and ambiguity about ethical decision-making in the workplace. These findings therefore underscore the importance of good ethical conduct by leaders for ensuring that health and safety risks are well understood and communicated effectively by organizational members particularly during crises. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our study and highlight further opportunities for future research to address the ethical dimensions of leadership, risk management, and organizational risk communication

Using the "documentary method" to analyse qualitative data in logistics research

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the use of a qualitative data analysis technique, the documentary method, in the development of knowledge in logistics. The value of the method is illustrated through an example of its application in a study of in‐store logistics processes at six leading European retail stores.Design/methodology/approachExtant literature is outlined regarding philosophical underpinnings of the documentary method and is followed by an explanation of the method and its application. Finally, an illustration is provided of its adaptation and use in a logistics research project.FindingsDrawing on a social constructionist approach, the documentary method can add to the development of logistics research by providing rich descriptions of actual practice, problems and issues in logistic processes – compared with the stated goals of such processes.Research limitations/implicationsThe documentary method is not suitable for all areas of logistics research and will need certain adaptations and adjustments when transferred into particular research contexts. In addition, the research question, philosophical stance, and knowledge of qualitative methodologies will ultimately determine the appropriateness of the technique.Originality/valueThe paper presents the first application of the documentary method in the field of logistics

Synergistic state governance of labour standards in global value chains: forced labour in the Malaysia-Nepal-UK medical gloves supply chain

Drawing on research into medical gloves global value chains (GVCs), this article examines the interacting roles that states differently positioned in GVCs have played in preventing and eliminating forced labour. Our case study, based on a worker survey and semi-structured interviews across GVC actors, focuses on forced labour in the Malaysian medical gloves sector during the COVID-19 pandemic, linking production in Malaysia, end markets in the UK (primarily through procurement for the National Health Service), and migrant-sending countries, especially Nepal. We analyze the intermeshing effects of the different roles of states, operating at either the horizontal or vertical level of GVC governance, in terms of contributing to issues of forced labour. We identify three state roles in the Malaysia-UK medical gloves chain: producer state (Malaysia), migrant-sending state (Nepal) and regulator-buyer state (UK). We also identify some of the most persistent barriers to resolving forced labour in the value chain. Our research illustrates that Malaysia’s complex regulatory, political and institutional dynamics most directly influence forced labour in gloves production, but Nepal’s migration policies and the UK’s healthcare procurement practices also create forced labour risk in Malaysia. Advancing Gereffi and Lee’s (2016: 25) notion of “synergistc governance” and Jessop’s (2016) strategic-relational approach (SRA) to the state, we thus argue that the creation of sustained and positive regulatory synergies among states differently positioned in GVCs is necessary for the prevention and elimination of forced labour.</p

Global value chains for medical gloves during the COVID-19 pandemic: confronting forced labour through public procurement and crisis

This paper evaluates ways in which labour issues in global value chains for medical gloves have been affected by, and addressed through, the COVID-19 pandemic. It focuses on production in Malaysia and supply to the United Kingdom's National Health Service and draws on a large-scale survey with workers and interviews with UK government officials, suppliers and buyers. Adopting a Global Value Chain (GVC) framework, the paper shows how forced labour endemic in the sector was exacerbated during the pandemic in the context of increased demand for gloves. Attempts at remediation are shown to operate through both a reconfigured value chain in which power shifted dramatically to the manufacturers and a context where public procurement became higher in profile than ever before. It is argued that the purchasing power of governments must be leveraged in ways that more meaningfully address labour issues, and that this must be part of value chain resilience