Made In Lesotho: Examining Variation In Workers' Perceptions Of Labour Standards Compliance In Lesotho'S Clothing Industry

Abstract

In this dissertation, I conduct a comparison of workers' perceptions of labour standards compliance in two global value chains in Lesotho's clothing industry, and show how ownership nationality and end market influence workers' perceptions of compliance. I show, first, how the two global value chains emerged in Lesotho. Here, I emphasize the different owners' experiences with unions as well as the role of enduser market. Second, I show that this will influence their attitudes towards compliance, arguing that attention to working conditions will be greater in firms where the owners are more accustomed to rigid labour regulations and exposure to unions. Third, based on feedback to a workers questionnaire and focus groups conducted with workers, I show how perceptions of compliance vary within each value chain as well as across. To compare, I use a compliance framework that captures violations of international core labour standards as well as basic working conditions. The findings indicate that specific issues vary between the two value chains but that supervisor relations is a common concern underscoring many of the issues raised by workers. Drawing on focus group discussions and one-on-one interviews with line supervisors, I develop a theoretical model to explain the relationship between owners, supervisors, and workers' perceptions of compliance. This dissertation contributes to theoretical debates on the role of foreign management in global value chains, and inserts worker voice directly in to the process of monitoring and evaluating labour standards.