Labour and Human Rights: Healthier Procurement – Swedish councils improving working conditions for surgical instrument manufacture in Pakistan

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Last week’s case study was about the power of one major company (Intel) to change a whole industry. This week, we’re talking about a multitude of councils coming together to manage complex labour issues in extended supply chains, in collaboration with an NGO called Swedwatch.

This 10-minute video is remarkable. It explains in details ten years of efforts made by Swedish councils to address child labour, safety and working conditions in the surgical instrument industry in Pakistan, whilst also reflecting on remaining challenges to really make a difference there.

I think this case study is a ‘must read’ in the context of the publication of the Australian Modern Slavery Act. It shows that Human Rights issues are the consequence of a complex conundrum of economic, social and cultural considerations. You can certainly not solve it only with a code of conduct and social clauses in your contracts!

https://vimeo.com/122554492

Labour and Human Rights: Healthier Procurement – Swedish councils improving working conditions for surgical instrument manufacture in Pakistan