Paper short abstract:

The literature is at an early stage in understanding the implications that the expansion of regional value chains in the global South has for decent work. This paper analyses labour standards in apparel RVCs with a focus on workers in Southern Africa, and compares such standards with those in GVCs.

Paper long abstract:

The paper will examine labour standards and compliance with standards primarily from the perspective of workers. It draws on a combination of 140 questionnaires (eSwatini (41) and Lesotho (99)) and 20 focus group discussions with 150 workers across, we explore decent work in terms of measurable standards (i.e. type of employment, wages, social protection, health and safety standards) and enabling rights (i.e. freedom of association, right to collective bargaining, non-discrimination, voice and empowerment in the firm) in RVCs, and further compare them to those in GVCs. We find in broad terms that, whilst in GVCs decent work is largely dependent on private codes of conduct enforced by global lead firms, in RVCs, it is shaped by a more complex interaction of governments, trade unions, and personal linkages between territorially embedded buyers and suppliers. Despite this difference, preliminary results for eSwatini reveal no significant difference in enabling rights across RVCs and GVCs. Importantly, however, we find variations in both measurable standards and enabling rights across two different types of RVCs: workers at large manufacturing plants directly contracted by South African retailers enjoy overall better scores across all decent work indicators compared to workers in smaller suppliers operating through intermediaries (known as design houses) and feeding into large discount retailers. Overall, the paper contributes to GVC research, increasing our understanding of how the emergence of RVCs in the global South impact on decent work.