ABSTRACT
Despite the growing recognition and several global and local initiatives developed by governments, civil society, and the private sector, millions of workers engaged in producing commodities, products, and services as part of the global supply chain continue to languish in the situations of modern slavery and working poverty. One key reason for the limited success and effectiveness of the initiatives to address workplace precarity is the wide gap between those with lived experiences, those who design the solutions, and those expected to implement these solutions. The top-down approaches are developed and followed with the best intentions, although they can often be experienced as moral imperialism and may even end up generating adverse consequences instead of the desired positive ones. Might it be possible, then, to combat precarious work by bridging the gap between the diverse ranges of actors in supply chains? And how might the gap be narrowed? In this chapter, drawing on the authors’ experiences of conceptualizing, designing, organizing, and institutionalizing an international dialog forum, an inclusive all-of-supply chain, inter-organizational and cross-sectoral approach will be presented and reflected upon.
