The COVID-19 pandemic has caused various disruptions in the production chains of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Among other disruptions there is a drop of product sales, often due to lock-down... Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused various disruptions in the production chains of Multinational Enterprises (MNEs). Among other disruptions there is a drop of product sales, often due to lock-down measures, which resulted in last-minute order cancellations , non-payment of the already purchased resources and already made products, and hence terminations of employment contracts. International organisations and non-governmental organisations have called upon MNEs to take their corporate social responsibility (CSR) and honour the contracts. The aim of this article is to analyse to what extend this moral appeal is also a (quasi-)legal appeal following from international norms on CSR. After an assessment of the main labour law problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, an analysis follows on each of the identified problems. The conclusion of the analysis is that MNEs indeed are not only morally obliged to take their responsibility, but also based on the (quasi-)legal international CSR norms. Show less
García-Muñoz Alhambra, M.A.; Haar, B.P. ter; Kun, A. 2014
SUMMARY: 1. Introduction. – 2. Public Monitoring vs Private Monitoring. – 3. Initiatives for Monitoring Systems by International Organizations. – 3.1. Initiatives by Public Organizations. – 3.1.1.... Show moreSUMMARY: 1. Introduction. – 2. Public Monitoring vs Private Monitoring. – 3. Initiatives for Monitoring Systems by International Organizations. – 3.1. Initiatives by Public Organizations. – 3.1.1. ILO: Tripartite Declaration of Principles Concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy. – 3.1.2. OECD: Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. – 3.1.3. UN: Global Compact and The Ruggie Framework. – 3.2. ILO Convention 81 Labour Inspection. – 4. Monitoring Systems as Found in Private Initiatives Applied in Practice. – 4.1. CSR Codes of Conduct. – 4.2. International Framework Agreements. – 4.3 Monitoring Initiatives by NGOs. – 4.4. Concluding Remarks on Transnational Private Monitoring Systems. – 5. Discussion of Previous Proposals by Other Scholars. – 6. Transnational Labour Inspection: Our Proposal and Idea. – 7. Conclusions. – 8. References. Show less
