The added value of SDG for labour rights protection

Introduction

The achievement of decent work is a part of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8. This international commitment is upheld by the states and by big business. The majority of ESG (Economic, Social Governance) or RBC (Responsible Business Conduct) or CSR (Corporate social responsibility) instruments 1 have strong links with the SDGs. National initiatives putting forward the protection of labour rights in developing countries also refer to SDG2 and perceive social clauses in trade agreements and in the General system of preferences (GSP) as a way to achieve sustainability.

The conference will seek the contributions from scholars, practitioners and NGOs about the contributions of different SDG initiatives to labour rights protection and, in particular, to the achievement of SDG targets 8.5.- 8.8.( full and productive employment and decent work, equal pay for work of equal value, reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments).

Our keynote speakers

• prof. Adoracion Guaman, University of Valencia, Spain - The critical assessment of the EU Directive proposal on due diligence

• prof. Attila Kun, Professor of Labour Law, Hungary, Budapest (KRE ÁJK & NKE ÁNTK) - The role of OECD NCPs in protecting labour rights

• prof. Sandrine Clavel, Professor at the University of Paris Saclay,  Honorary Dean of the Faculty - The impact of the Duty of Vigilance Law on labour rights

Program

The conference will be held on 29 June 2023 (h.14.00-18.00) and on 30 June 2023 (h.9.00-13.30) and will comprise three panels based on the three pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the topics to be discussed include the following:

Protect

• The value of international trade agreements for achieving SDG 8 Public procurement and labour rights protection
• Evaluating the impact of GSP schemes on the protection of labour rights in developing countries

Respect

• Financial instruments to ensure labour rights protection (public instrument as, e.g. EU “Next generation EU, or social requirements of private banks)
• The problem of greenwashing
• Scandals as a push for labour rights protection in MNCs
• Trying to build a system in the chaos of reporting standards: mission impossible
• Are the ESG rankings the evidence of respect to labour rights?
• Certification and labour rights protection

Remedy

• Extraterritorial protection of labour rights in the courts of developed countries
• Alternative grievance mechanism: Public (OECD NCP, World bank) and private (e.g. Fair trade, Fair Wear)
• The role of NGOs in remedying the violations of labour rights

29th June 2023

Panel 1 - THE DUTY OF THE STATES TO PROTECT LABOUR RIGHTS

14.45-16.30 Moderator: Elena Sychenko, Saint Petersburg State University

16.30-16.45 Coffee-break

Panel 2 - THE DUTY OF THE BUSINESS TO RESPECT LABOUR RIGHTS

16.45-18.45 Moderator: Riccardo Salomone, University of Trento

Key-note speech: Adoracion Guaman, University of Valencia, Spain
The critical assessment of the EU Directive proposal on due diligence
Panel presentations:
Cinzia Carta, Genova University, Italy
Mandatory due diligence and civil accountability for the respect of labour rights: the EU perspective
Federico Micheli, University of Brescia, Italy
Interconnection between sustainability reporting and labour law
Bolzonello Gloria, Fair Wear Foundation, Netherlands
The mutual influence of voluntary codes of conduct and power imbalances in the Indian garment supply chain
Riccardo Tonelli, University of Ferrara, Italy
Certifications of companies in Italy from the perspective of labour rights protection
Federico Pistelli, University of Trento, Italy
Labour Clauses in Supply Chain Contracts
Wanning Hsu, National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Women Economic Empowerment at the Labor Market through ESG means in Taiwan

30th June 2023

Panel 3 - THE DUTY OF THE STATES AND BUSINESSES TO REMEDY THE VIOLATIONS OF LABOUR RIGHTS

10.00-12.00 Moderator: Chiara Cristofolini, University of Trento

Key-note speech: Attila Kun, Károli Gáspár University
The role of OECD NCPs in protecting labour rights.
Panel presentations:
Christoph Lindner, University of Regensburg, Germany
Extraterritorial protection of labour rights - how the German TÜV SÜD is held responsible for the catastrophe of Brumadinho, Brazil
Minju Kang, Seoul National University, Korea
Transnationalizing National Labor Issues: OECD NCP as an Alternative Venue for Labor Cases: Korean experience
Elisa D'Anneo, University of Trento, Italy
Global value chains and the transnational social dialogue for remedying labour rights violations
Martin Curley, Katalyst Initiative, Netherlands
Supporting SDG Decent Work Targets through Context-specific Supply Chain Governance
Nikita Lyutov and Ilona Voitkovskaya, M. Narikbayev KAZGUU University, Kazakhstan
The international financial organizations’ advisory activity influence over the system of labour inspections in East Europe and Central Asia

12.00-12.15 Closing remarks: Elena Sychenko, Saint Petersburg State University

Organizational Committee

Riccardo Salomone, Professor, University of Trento
Attila Kun, Professor, KRE ÁJK & NKE ÁNTK, Hungary, Budapest 
Vania Brino, Professor, Ca' Foscari University
Chiara Cristofolini, Researcher, University of Trento
Elena Sychenko, Adjunct Professor, University of Bologna and Visiting Professor, University of Trento

Information for the Audience 

People interested in attending the event can access freely (no registration required).

Contact person: Elena Sychenko - Elena.sychenko [at] unibo.it