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What’s in it for Labour?

What’s in it for Labour? Private Social Standards in the Cut Flower industries of Kenya and Tanzania Cut flower value chains Private social standards Potential for labour organisations Labour strategies towards standards. Lone Riisgaard, Danish Institute for International Studies.

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What’s in it for Labour?

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  1. What’s in it for Labour? Private Social Standards in the Cut Flower industries of Kenya and Tanzania • Cut flower value chains • Private social standards • Potential for labour organisations • Labour strategies towards standards Lone Riisgaard, Danish Institute for International Studies

  2. Research questions • Do private social standards open opportunities for labour organisations to pursue their own objectives? • How do labour organizations use these standards to their own advantage?

  3. Cut Flowers • Increase in developing country export • Proliferation of private social & environmental standards • Direct sourcing by supermarkets • Kenya – 4th largest exporter • Tanzania – 25th

  4. Retailer Florist Retailer Importer Importer Wholesaler Auction Exporter Importer Large plantation Exporter Contract farmer Small grower Outgrower Plantations Flower value chains

  5. Private social Standards • Company standards (‘responsible sourcing’ by Waitrose) • Northern sectoral standards (EUREGAP and MPS) • Southern sectoral standards (the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) and the Fresh Produce Exporters Association of Kenya standards (FPEAK)) • Multistakeholder standards (the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), the International Code of Conduct for Cut Flowers (ICC), the Max Havelaar and Fairtrade Labelling Organization criteria for flowers (FLO), the Flower Label Programme (FLP) and the Fair Flowers and Plants (FFP) label, the Kenyan Horticultural Ethical Business Initiative (HEBI)) • Government standards (Kenya Bureau of Standard (KEBS) code for the horticultural industry)

  6. Labor content

  7. Laber organisations and private social standards in Tanzania & Kenya • Type of value chain is significant • Standards differ markedly in the degree to which they are likely to open room for labour • Interpretation of standard provisions influence the degree to which the standards in practice provide opportunities

  8. Labour strategies • Tanzania (TPAWU): Active engagement • Kenya (KPAWU): Contestation • Kenya (NGOs): Active engagement

  9. Conclusions • Rigorous standards can potentially be useful to labour organisations • Practical outcome differs according to context and labour organisations • Standards do not seriously challenge GVC structures

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