Humanising the Cut Flower Chain: Confronting the Realities of Flower Production for Workers in Kenya

Abstract

This article examines a particular international supply chain, the Kenya-UK cut flower supply chain, and looks at the implications of such globalised systems of production for women workers. Using womens' own accounts of their working lives as presented in recent research data and in campaigning activities within Kenya, it confronts the realities facing women workers. With the proliferation of codes of conduct in the cut flower industry, the importance of participatory social auditing (PSA) in uncovering workers' grievances is highlighted. These accounts have been significant in bringing together different stakeholders, including UK supermarkets, and the subsequent establishment of the Horticulture Ethical Business Initiative (HEBI). The importance of participatory methodology is highlighted in the context of both the research exercise and the auditing procedures recommended by HEBI. The establishment of the HEBI using a PSA methodology emphasizes the importance of a local, multi-stakeholder approach to code implementation. It is concluded that although there are signs of some improvements in labour conditions on some farms, serious problems remain which are inherent in the downward pressures exerted in buyer controlled supply chains.

Pathways to empowerment?: dynamics of women's participation in Global Value Chains

“…Moreover, despite the success of national and international civil society networks in galvanising support for the implementation of social standards in cut flowers in particular (Barrientos, 2013, Hale and Opondo, 2005, women workers did not identify them as part of their strategies to realise their ambitions in the workplace.…”

“…Several studies have highlighted the problems facing workers employed at the base of global value chains; some related to weak labour regulation or global processes of de-regulation associated with neo-liberalism , Barrientos, et al, 2011, Barrientos and Kritzinger, 2004, Palpacuer, 2008 and others indirectly related to purchasing practices of global retailers and brands (Hale and Opondo, 2005, Hughes, et al, 2010, Oxfam, 2004, Raworth and Kidder, 2009). More recently researchers have asked about whether workers and communities benefit from efforts by producers at the bottom of the chain to integrate into GVCs, i.e.…”

“…Until recently, while the majority of studies on workers within the GVC literature looked at gender in some form (Barrientos, 2002, Barrientos, et al, 2000, Dolan and Sutherland, 2002, Hale and Opondo, 2005, Lund and Srinivas, 2000, few had gone beyond looking at workers' experiences in the workplace and an acknowledgement of the gendered nature of the labour economy, to also look at how women's employment impacts on household dynamics and structures, particularly in an African context, while extensive work has been undertaken in Latin American agriculture and clothing (e.g. Bain, 2013).…”

“…However, knowledge about gendered dimensions of value chains amongst both researchers and practitioners is inadequate to fully understand the dynamics at play, especially with respect to women's empowerment, particularly in an African context . 1 However, several studies across sectors with significant female employment have highlighted the opposite, painting a picture of poor health and safety and endemic labour rights violations, with a differential experience for men and women (Bain, 2010, Dolan, 2004, ETI, 2005, Hale and Opondo, 2005, Smith, et al, 2004, Tallontire, et al, 2005. More broadly the feminisation of labour in GVCs has been associated with greater insecurity, flexibilisation and precarious work (Palpacuer, 2008, Raworth andKidder, 2009).…”

Localizing Private Social Standards: Standard Initiatives in Kenyan Cut Flowers

“…The UK supermarkets thus became key players in the establishment of HEBI, first by agreeing to listen to workers' grievances (through the ETI investigation), and then putting pressure on their suppliers to work together with the NGOs in developing HEBI (Hale & Opondo 2005, ETI 2005. 29 Seen from a GVC governance perspective, the HEBI initiative (even when including its participatory auditing principles) like most PSSs does not contest the power structure of the retailer-driven GVC (such as e.g.…”