Wage Practices and Issues in the Supply Chain

Within global trade, wage practices along the supply chain are characterized by a number of serious problems, which have long gone unaddressed and have been further exacerbated by the current global economic crisis. While there is increasing international concern and a number of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives on wages, work on this topic remains rather fragmented and would benefit from a more comprehensive and coherent approach.

The Fair Labor Association seeks to enhance mobilization of CSR actors and improve their ability to address wage issues along the supply chain. To this end the FLA held a stakeholder forum in October 2009, which brought together academics and practitioners who have focused on wages, working conditions, and corporate social responsibility in their work, to discuss: (1) current wage practices and issues along the supply chain; (2) the initiatives that have been undertaken to address these issues; (3) recommendations on how wage issues might be progressively included into CSR; and (4) the roles different stakeholders can assume in helping develop and implement solutions to wage issues.

The FLA also hopes to launch future engagement on the topic that could lead to a dynamic framework for improving wages for workers within a broad “fair wage” spectrum. Stay tuned to this page for more information on the FLA’s engagement on wage  

Stakeholder Forums

“Wages Along the Supply Chain: Assessment and Prospects”
October 26, 2009, Washington, D.C.
Read the complete report
Conference agenda and speakers

Presentations

Below are some of the presentations given at the October 2009 stakeholder forum.

Incorporating Wages in CSR
Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead, Senior Adviser, Wages and Working Conditions Program, International Labor Organization (ILO), and Professor at Sciences Po-Paris
View the presentation

The Fair Wage Guide for Craft Artisans
Ella Silverman, Executive Director, World of Good
View the presentation

JO-IN Multi-stakeholder Approach: Lessons for Wage Issues
Henrik Lindholm, International Verification Coordinator, Fear Wear Foundation
View the presentation

Fair Trade: Testing Consumer Potential to Raise Wages
Heather Franzese, TransFair USA
View the presentation

Above and Beyond
Joe Bozich, CEO, Knights Apparel
View the presentation

Related Articles

"Wages - Working for a living"
Ethical Corporation online - June 30, 2009
Read the article