My research focuses on two broad areas: 1) examining structural issues inherent in global supply chains which contribute to ongoing labor abuses and exploring how these might be reformed and 2) understanding the reality of poor labor conditions on the lives of workers and on their livelihoods.

1) ARE FEMALE GARMENT WORKERS SAFE? EVIDENCE FROM THE DINDIGUL AGREEMENT TO END GENDER BASED VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT IN INDIA

Recipient of the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) Faculty Research Award for 2024-25

This project will examine a new binding agreement between corporations, factories, and labor unions to address the issue of gender based violence and harassment (GBVH) of workers in garment factories in India. The Dindigul Agreement is seen as a landmark agreement that finally addresses GBVH that has been endemic in the garment factories for decades.

This project seeks to investigate four key questions:

  • Have the provisions in the Dindigul Agreement allowed workers to experience a safe place of work?

  • Specifically, is the grievance mechanism component of the agreement effective from workers’ perspectives? How is it different from other types of mechanisms that many factories have in place and many companies promote? Can this be scaled up and adapted to other countries and contexts?

  • Does this agreement get to the root causes of GBVH in global value chains?

  • Does this agreement represent a key shift in corporate accountability—one that moves from a compliance model to one focused on shared responsibility?

This project is critical and timely for two important reasons. First, unfortunately incidents of GBVH continue to be rampant in factories and this impacts the health and safety of female workers on a daily basis. It is important to develop, understand, and improve on viable solutions to address this problem. Second, effective grievance mechanisms are a critical part of the recently passed EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD) and corporations will need to very rapidly have effective measures in place. In addition to contributions to the theoretical literature on GBV and corporate accountability, findings from this research will also be important for businesses who need to meet the new regulatory requirements but who also want to improve workers’ lives.

2) TRANSFORMING BUSINESS MODELS IN THE GLOBAL GARMENT INDUSTRY: ARE PARTNERSHIPS THE ANSWER?

In collaboration with the Center for Business and Human Rights, NYU Stern School of Business

It is common for global retailers to engage in transactional or indirect relationships with their suppliers in the global South. These are characterized by short-term interactions with several suppliers based on maximizing cost and order volumes with little commitment to future business and longer-term relationships. Research has shown, however, that a partnership or direct relationship model can create better business opportunities for both sides, as well as contribute to better labor rights.

 This research examines the steps needed to enter into a partnership model and what the advantages might be for every layer of the supply chain. We find that Covid-19 could be the tipping point for global brands that may have already been thinking about switching to a direct sourcing model by consolidating their supply chain and committing to longer-term sourcing relationship.

 This is very timely because many global retailers are currently making changes to their business model due to the realization that the “just in time” manufacturing is not sustainable in the long term. We present a roadmap to understand the advantages of the partnership model for all stakeholders involved, how to establish a true partnership, the potential risks involved, and how to mitigate these risks. While this transition is not without its challenges, our research provides evidence that a movement towards this model will be beneficial to global retailers, suppliers, and ultimately to workers who are the most vulnerable at the bottom of these supply chains.

PUBLICATIONS

PRESENTATIONS

  • Presentation at the Copenhagen Business School, June 2023, Copenhagen, Denmark. Sustainability Governance in the Global Garment and Textile Industries.

3) HOW DO WE THINK ABOUT SAFETY FOR WOMEN WORKERS IN GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAINS

This research focuses on how limited notions of what constitutes safety for workers, primarily for women workers, perpetuates the cycle of labor violations for those at the very bottom of global supply chain. I draw lessons from the aftermath of one of the worst industrial disasters in history, the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in 2013, as well as from the initial months of the Covid-19 pandemic which wreaked havoc on global supply chains and on the lives of workers worldwide. I try to understand how can we reframe our ideas around worker safety and what might new and more productive interventions look like.

PUBLICATIONS

  • Sanchita Banerjee Saxena (2024) The garment industry under COVID-19: lessons from the Rana Plaza disaster on how we understand worker safety, South Asian History and Culture, DOI: 10.1080/19472498.2024.2311036

PRESENTATIONS

  • US Department of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs. July 20, 2022, How Do We Think About Safety for Women Workers in Global Garment Supply Chains?

  • Business Accountability for Human Rights: Addressing Human Rights Issues in Global Supply Chains. April 7-8, Columbus School of Law, Washington DC.

  • Tsinghua University, Institute for International and Area Studies. November 10, 2021. The garment industry in Bangladesh under Covid-19: Lessons from the Rana Plaza disaster on how we understand worker safety.