Empowering Workers: A New Social Responsibility Model

In the evolving landscape of business ethics and human rights, the challenge of providing effective remedy for business-related human rights abuses remains critical. Remedy refers to the actions taken to repair harm or restore rights that have been abused. 

In a recent paper, "Rightsholder-Driven Remedy for Business-Related Human Rights Abuse: Case of the Fair Food Program," published in the Journal of Business Ethics, I address this pressing issue by exploring the necessary conditions for a participatory, rightsholder-driven approach to remedy.

Redefining Remedy through Rightsholder-Driven Approaches

With the inclusion of human rights in discussions of business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR), scholars and practitioners have emphasized the importance of participatory approaches to remedy. However, operationalizing these approaches in ways that empower rightsholders, especially in contexts with severe power imbalances, remains a significant gap. This study, grounded in critical dialogic accountability principles, aims to fill this gap by analyzing the Fair Food Program case study.

The Fair Food Program, recognized for its innovative worker-driven approach, provides a unique context to examine effective remedy mechanisms. The program, developed by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, focuses on empowering farmworkers in the United States’ agricultural sector to protect and enforce their own rights by leveraging the power of major brands. By integrating critical dialogic accountability with empirical analysis, the paper constructs a theoretical framework for rightsholder-driven remedy.

Empowering Rightsholders through Enforcement and Education

This research identifies enforcement and education as crucial conditions for effective rightsholder-driven remedies. The paper delves into these conditions, deconstructing their unique aspects within the Fair Food Program’s remedial system. 

Enforcement in the Fair Food Program involves market-based consequences for non-compliance, ensuring that standards set by rightsholders are upheld. Education, on the other hand, is ongoing and thorough, utilizing worker-to-worker sessions that leverage the lived experiences of farmworkers to enhance understanding and agency.

Worker-Driven Social Responsibility: A Paradigm Shift from CSR

The worker-driven social responsibility model, as embodied by the Fair Food Program, represents a significant departure from traditional corporate social responsibility approaches. CSR has often been criticized for its failure to protect workers at the base of supply chains, primarily due to its top-down nature and voluntary compliance mechanisms. 

In contrast, the worker-driven social responsibility model is characterized by legally binding agreements, rigorous independent monitoring, and active participation from workers themselves. This approach not only addresses power imbalances but also ensures that the voices of the most vulnerable are heard and acted upon. The effectiveness of the worker-driven social responsibility model is further illustrated by its recent international expansions, demonstrating its potential to transform labor practices globally.

Implications for Business and Human Rights

The findings from the Fair Food Program case study highlight the importance of designing remedial systems that are both participatory and empowering. By focusing on the interplay between enforcement and education, this framework offers valuable insights for developing effective remedies in other contexts marked by power asymmetries. This research contributes to the broader discourse on business and human rights, emphasizing the need for inclusive approaches that center the voices and experiences of rightsholders.

The author is Research Professor at the Department of Strategy and Leadership, EGADE Business School, Tecnológico de Monterrey.