Global Social Relations and Corporate Social Responsibility in Outsourced Apparel Supply Chains: The Inditex Global Framework Agreement

Abstract

The approach by the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) to global framework agreements (GFAs) covering workers in textiles, clothing and footwear has always been consistent with global union policy on fundamental trade union rights as a mechanism for realizing the ILO Decent Work Agenda.² Still, the first GFA (signed in 2007 with Inditex SA), was late in coming relative to other sectors (Miller 2004). The agreement was neither the result of a cold approach brokered via a headquarters-based union or European works council (Papadakis 2009: 3–4); nor the result of trade union agitation, based on targeted research and networking (Davies et al. 2009); nor the direct outcome of a response to adverse public opinion or campaigning by trade unions and NGOs (Papadakis 2009: 6–7).