Labour Networks under Supply Chain Capitalism: The Politics of the Bangladesh Accord

What is it about?

The article discusses the politics of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. The author argues that it marks an impressive transnational governance initiative towards better factory conditions, but calling it a paradigm shift would be overly optimistic, since it mainly relies on transnational buyers' power as a precondition for implementing fundamental health and safety standards.

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Why is it important?

The Bangladesh Accord provides a landmark initiative in the field of transnational labour and human rights governance. While it has been widely applauded for its success in improving health and safety standards in a considerable number of Bangladeshi garment factories, this article puts the initiative in a wider cultural-political context of supply chain-related forms of governance. It sheds light on the unequal power relations and dominant managerial social logics that underpin the initiative's funcionality. The article thus provides a critical contribution to understanding the limits of the Accord as a 'game changer' for transnational labour regulation and the empowerment of transnational labour networks.