Hale, Angela

Concern about working conditions in a global supply chain has led unions and NGOs in the North to collaborate on initiatives such as the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) in the UK. Relationships have not always been easy, but experience has shown that when trade unions and NGOs work together […]

World trade is increasingly conditioned by the rules of the World Trade Organisation. In the case of the garment industry this means the phasing out of the Multifibre Arrangement, which has dominated trade in textiles and garments since 1974. This phase-out is seen as benefiting developing countries and criticism focuses on the manner in which […]

This article looks at the threats posed to labour conditions by current industrial restructuring and new international trade agreements. It argues that women in the South are not only among those most open to exploitation, but they are also often in the forefront of local resistance. Yet the views of women workers are not being […]