Reflection Paper: Auret Van Heerden - Making Global Labor Fair

Giang Le - 1596869

Auret van Heerden, Executive Director of the Fair Labor Association (FLA), has

always been active in fighting and calling for human rights for workers. Besides, he has a

very pragmatic approach to workers' rights, always calling on companies and non-

governmental organizations (NGOs) to protect workers in the global supply chain. The rapid

development of the market today means that the economy is constantly escalating, bringing

benefits to society, since that is also the time when governance gaps appear and "These are

the dark pools where global supply chains begin -- the global supply chains, which brings us

our favorite brand name products." - said Heerden in the video.

The TED Talk "Making Global Labor Fair" emphasized the issues that arise when

global supply chains evolve, notably the violation of workers' human rights, and provided the

audience with the most comprehensive understanding of the current situation and the

organizations involved. Furthermore, it underlines the Fair Labor Association's (FLA) critical

role in human rights protection. Below are some of the primary ideas that the author wishes

to express through the TED presentation, as well as some of my personal thoughts on the

topic of labor disparity.

Heerden started his talk with the product life cycle of a phone, especially where this

phone was created and its worker was not an adult but a kid - something that The United

Nations Security Council terms "blood minerals". Apart from that terrible beginning, there

has been a string of devastating occurrences in the subsequent procedures, such as the suicide

of employees at the Shinjin factory in China, where a man died after working for 36 hours

without a break. Furthermore, there have been a number of scandals involving the

exploitation of children's labor; in particular, children are trafficked and turned into slaves to
be exploited on coffee plantations; in Uzbekistan, schools are closed during cotton harvest to

move children to the fields and force them to harvest cotton. And the final destination of

these "children's sweat, blood, and tears" items will be a landfill in Manila. This is a popular

metaphor for globalization's fast expansion and the encouragement of trade across countries

and regions. Transnational firms have access to various sources of supply across the world,

and the race to become these corporations' supplier of raw materials is also starting to heat

up. Raw resources are typically sourced from emerging or impoverished countries. However,

the state's control of social problems, particularly human rights, remains lax in many

countries. "Governance Gaps" was his politeest description of them. In the speech, Heerden

also stated that some nations feel that deregulation or minimal regulation will boost

investment, but under any circumstances I believe no one deserve to give up their rights to

bring products with cherished brands. Employees who are satisfied will produce joyful and

long-lasting products. This is also the 10 Goal of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

of United Nations. This goal necessitates empowerment and the promotion of social,

economic, and political inclusion for all people, regardless of age, gender, handicap, color,

ethnicity, origin, religion, educational level, or other circumstances. Promote equal

opportunity and decrease gaps in results, including the elimination of discriminatory laws,

policies, and practices, as well as the promotion of suitable laws, policies, and actions. There

are policies, particularly in finance, salaries, and social protection, and more equality is

progressively achieved.

The next section of Heerden's speech focuses on the duties and attitudes of

governments and organizations in relation to this pressing issue. Moreover, the continuous

purposeful use of illegal labor, dangerous industrial procedures, and legal controversies have

plunged the Competent Authorities into an investigative crisis. But, no solution has been

proposed. The issue is the regulation of country production and the failure of the authorities.
In the instance of China, for example, even after all claims of labor exploitation and illegal

drug manufacture were raised, China continued to deny them. They argue that these facilities

are chemical, not pharmaceutical, and hence can not audit them. The USFDA is also unable

to undertake drug investigations. This causes a challenge for businesses who want to do

business in China while still upholding ethical standards and avoiding human rights breaches

in their supplier networks. This also limits international commercial collaboration, trust, and

confidence among Organizations and other civil society groups. As a result, in order to totally

overcome these issues, the international trade market need a new structure. FLA was

established in 1996 with the goal of promoting human rights throughout the global supply

chain. The FLA appeared to have fully swamped the aforementioned concerns, and the

leaders leveraged the power and influence of the only really multinational organization in the

global supply chain and forced them to do the right thing; they utilized that power

responsibly, to offer critical public goods. It also promotes trust, instead of "We don't

believe" it will be "We believe, but need to verify - We audit". Everything happens in a

visible and unambiguous manner, resulting in excellent efficiency in both manufacturing and

inspection. The FLA performs haphazard, independent audits of factories utilized by FLA

affiliates to check whether all components of the code are being implemented and to certify

that enterprises are trying to comply internally. As a result of the FLA's mediation function,

issues regarding human rights that previously plagued organizations and governments have

been resolved.

To conclude, in addition to shedding light on the dark sides of the global supply chain

and identifying the responses of the companies involved, Heerden's TED Talk really strikes

on my compassion by his enthusiasm on the road to pursue human rights and bring justice to

the labor. The tendency of sustainable development can be stated to be the orientation of

countries in the future and presently. I believe that after listening and discussing with this
speech, I will be encouraged to understand the current situation and the critical role of

Intermediary Organizations in the period of international integration in changing perceptions

of individuals and inspiring society about human rights in the workplace, leading to a more

economically developed society with a more equitable society.

References

Heerden, A. (2010). Making Global Labor fair. Retrieved from:

https://www.ted.com/talks/auret_van_heerden_making_global_labor_fair

United Nations. (n.d.). Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/inequality/