Contact

Who is running the #LIB?

Markus Helfen, works as a research fellow in the Hertie School, Berlin, and is also a private lecturer at the School of Business & Economics, Freie Universität Berlin. My fields of research are employment relations and organization theory, collective action, and institutional work in interorganizational settings. Main themes include global labour standards, work and employment in multi-employer work arrangements as well as sustainability studies.

My motivation with the #LIB is to contribute to a “just transition” towards a more sustainable world of work. This motivation comes from my academic work in studying and teaching industrial relations and organizations. Humane working conditions need to be won in conflict and negotiations. Numerous proofs for this statement can be taken from decades of struggles fought about industrial democracy, global labour standards and the inclusion of formerly marginalized groups into the workplace. At the same, collaboration of various parties, enduring compromises and sanctioned rule enforcement are necessary. My wish for the #LIB is that it invites to a collective debate on how to improve the situation around labour standard violations by promoting the idea of a proper and encompassing labour inspection. For me, this involves thinking about how to make societies, organizations, and workplace more inclusive, participative and diverse. Whether and how labour inspection, broadly defined, may be changed to the better, and what role which group and policy might play in that is open for debate. So far, no one can provide a definitive answer, but much will depend on the effectiveness of labour politics in many fields and arenas, from supply chains & due diligence legislation, union networks and global framework agreements to civil society campaigns, consumer activism and labour inspection agencies.

Sophie Rosenbohm is currently working as a research fellow at the Institute for Work, Skills and Training at the University of Duisburg-Essen. My research interests revolve around labour and employment relations, sociology of work, and research methods. I am currently focusing on transnational labour relations in multinational companies and I am especially interested how global labour standards evolve in and around these companies and global supply chains.

Creating a sustainable world of work is one of the key tasks we are facing. With the #LIB I am happy to contribute to the debate on how to improve working conditions and industrial human rights around the world. I am looking forward to new insights and discussions!

Everyone interested to join the study, debate and practicing of labour inspection is invited to do so. The common ground is a spirit to search for a better understanding, for new practical solutions and for bridges towards a future respectful of industrial human rights.

Always curious about your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. You want to collaborate and collaborate? Please write us an email…

You can follow us on twitter @WorkInspection.