Threads of Labour

Angela Hale is Director of Women Working Worldwide, an NGO based at Manchester Metropolitan University. She previously lectured in sociology at the university and has published many articles relating to women workers. Women Working Worldwide works with a network of trade unions and NGOs supporting the rights of workers in international supply chains producing consumer goods for the world market. Jane Wills is Reader in Geography at Queen Mary, University of London and a board member of Women Working Worldwide. Her previous publications include Dissident Geographies: An Introduction to Radical Ideas and Practices (2000), Place, Space and the New Labour Internationalisms (Blackwell Publishing, 2001) and Union Futures: Building Networked Trade Unionism in the UK (2002).

"A vibrant, innovative and up-to-date book, that recognizes the diversity of women’s experience of networked global capitalism and charts both their experience of exploitation and their strategies of resistance. Threads of Labour provides a sober but constructive assessment of international multi-stakeholder initiatives to improve conditions for garment workers."Diane Elson, University of Essex "I would highly recommend Threads of Labour to anyone wishing to learn the intricacies of the global garment industry, and what action can be taken to make change happen."Red Pepper "A ground-breaking and original study of the contested geographies of women working in the global garments trade. Theoretically, empirically and politically rich and innovative. This is one of the most sustained and exciting examples of action research in the discipline."David Featherstone, University of Liverpool "This book gives valuable insights for decision-makers in international clothing brands. Read it and learn how garment workers worldwide are affected by the sub-contracted manufacturing that characterises this industry."Dan Rees, Director of the Ethical Trading Initiative “A politically engaged, detailed and scholarly account of global garment subcontracting … This book is required reading for researchers, students, and activists with a serious interest in global trade and global exploitation.” Network “An essential read for globalization scholars and activists alike [and] breaks new ground by presenting a coordinated research approach for analyzing global supply chains and how power is constructed-and contested-through the links that bind them.”Norma M. Rantisi, Concordia University, Economic Geography

• List of Illustrations. List of Tables.List of Boxes.Notes on Contributors.Acknowledgements.Abbreviations.1 Threads of Labour in the Global Garment Industry (Jane Wills with Angela Hale).2 The Changing Face of the Global Garment Industry (Jennifer Hurley with Doug Miller).3 Organising and Networking in Support of Garment Workers (Angela Hale).4 Action Research. Tracing the Threads of Labour in the Global Garment Industry (Jane Wills with Jennifer Hurley).5 Unravelling the Web. Supply Chains and Workers' Lives in the Garment Industry (Jennifer Hurley).6 Coming Undone. The Implications of Garment Industry Subcontracting for UK Workers (Camille Warren).7 The Impact of Full-package Production in Mexico's Blue Jean Capital (Lynda Yanz with Bob Jeffcott).8 Defending Workers' Rights in Subcontracted Workplaces (Rohini Hensman, Women Working Worldwide).9 The Phase-out of the Multi-Fibre Arrangement from the Perspective of Workers (Angela Hale with Maggie Burns).10 Conclusion (Angela Hale with Jane Will).References.Index.