What's in it for Labour? Private Social Standards in the Cut Flower Industries of Kenya and Tanzania

This paper describes how the export of cut flowers from Eastern Africa to Europe is an example of how tightened quality regulations and increasing concern with social and environmental issues have created a highly codified industry. The author focuses on the examination of private social standards and the opportunities and challenges they pose for labor organizations, especially trade unions. The paper reveals how strongly-driven retailer chains offer more room for labor to exert its agency than the traditional auction strands of the value chain.

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