What Does HRDD Mean for Transnational Labour Governance?

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers what the developments revealed in earlier chapters mean for transnational labour governance as a field of scholarship, policy, and activism. It identifies and discusses four key implications and elaborates on why each warrants greater reflection, dissection, and discussion from labour activists who prioritise human rights due diligence (HRDD) as a strategic objective and among international labour scholars. The first finding is that there is little to suggest that HRDD is being legalised at the international or national level in a way that meets the initial expectations accorded to it by the international labour movement and others. The other three findings arise from HRDD’s reframing of questions around corporate accountability and labour rights in terms of risk management. This reframing is facilitating a more prominent role for national courts and for-profit intermediaries in transnational labour governance. It has also enabled the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to consolidate its role as a transnational labour regulator. The chapter discusses the implications of each of these developments.