Labour standards, global markets and non-state initiatives: Colombia's and Ecuador's flower industries in comparative perspective

Abstract

The recent wave of global economic expansion was triggered to a large extent by the relocation of labour-intensive industries in developing countries with low labour costs. While there is no doubt that this relocation has created employment, most of it is in low quality jobs. Non-state actors (private companies and ngos) have made efforts to improve labour standards in labour-intensive industries, but so far these have met with limited success. This article examines labour relations and non-state initiatives in Colombia's and Ecuador's flower export industries. It is argued that cheap labour and low labour standards are important, even though not the only, factors behind the relocation of flower production to Andean countries. It is also suggested that the effectiveness of non-state initiatives is undermined by disagreement between business organisations and ngos: while the former adopt a narrow technical perspective on labour standards, the latter support worker participation in monitoring and verification.