S1E2: Untangling the Complexities of Global Value Chains

Migrant workers form a significant portion of India's vast informal economy, where work is largely low-value, precarious, and without any social protection. In this episode, Divya Varma of Aajeevika Bureau explains the vulnerabilities of this opaque and invisible workforce and the impact of COVID19 pandemic.

We bring to you a special episode on the occasion of the International Worker’s Day. At the beginning of this year, India’s Labour Minister proclaimed ‘2020 to be the year of reforms’. He was talking about the 4 new Labour Codes. To understand these, which will undoubtedly have a profound and lasting impact on workers and labour relations in India, we speak with Chandan Kumar, labour activist and National Coordinator of the Working People’s Charter.

There are approximately 1200 textile and apparel factories employing 500,000 workers in Bengaluru, Karnataka. These factories and their workers cater to the domestic market but the majority of them are export-oriented and are part of global supply chains. In our latest episode, we speak with Rekha Chakravarthi and Deepika Rao of Cividep India, to understand the violations in the garment supply chain and the impact of Covid-19 on the workers.

In profit-driven economies led by multinational corporations, Global Value Chains (GVC) has become the buzzword. In this episode, Dev Nathan- Research Advisor at the Society for Labour and Development, untangles the meaning of GVCs and it's impact on labour and human rights.

Season 1: Decent Work and Dignity of Labour  Episode 1: Back in the 90s, Justine Nolan was actively involved in student action against sweatshops. Today, as Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of New South Wales, her research focuses on forced labour and contemporary forms of slavery. In this episode, Justine speaks on Australia's new Modern Slavery Act