5 - Representative Alliances in the Creation of the Bangladesh Accord

Summary

Central to our argument is that “representation gaps” may be filled to some extent by alliances being built by actors at different points in the supply chain and based on the two different logics of representation: representation as structure and representation as claim. Using the Accord as the empirical context, Chapter 5 analyses how and when representation as claim and representation as structure can become complementary: labour rights NGOs can use their power to agitate and mobilise in ways that empower trade unions to negotiate with global brands, while trade unions provide the legitimacy and access to negotiation with global brands. This complementarity is illustrated by the Bangladesh Accord. The Accord emerged as a negotiated and legally binding agreement between Global Union Federations, NGOs and over 200 brands, providing an unprecedented mechanism of transnational co-determination at the supply chain level between representatives of labour and capital.