In June 2016, the International Labour Conference (ILC) adopted a resolution and action-oriented conclusions concerning decent work in global supply chains. The tripartite constituents agreed that global supply chains are complex, diverse and fragmented and acknowledged their contribution to economic growth and job creation. They also acknowledged that failures within global supply chains contribute to decent work deficits and to the undermining of rights at work. The conclusions further stated that governments may have limited capacity and resources to effectively monitor and enforce compliance with laws and regulations. The expansion of global supply chains across borders has exacerbated these governance gaps.

The aim of the study on workplace compliance is to map and analyse some of the governance mechanisms engaged in global supply chains, and to encourage collaboration between stakeholders to develop a culture of compliance. As the first version of the paper was drafted prior to the 2016 ILC discussion on Decent Work in Global Supply Chains, it was used to inform the conference paper (ILO, 2016a). New insights resulting from the ILC discussion have been incorporated in this final version.