Human rights due diligence: a new tool for trade unions takes shape

A new initiative to strengthen trade unions’ capacity to protect workers’ rights is taking shape, with UNI Global Union partnering with IndustriALL, German trade union confederation DGB, and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) to establish a Human Rights Due Diligence Competence Centre in 2025. The Centre’s goal is to empower unions to use new human rights due diligence laws to effectively protect workers’ rights.

From voluntary to mandatory corporate responsibility

Building on previously voluntary norms, such as the OECD Guidelines for Multinationals and UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights, human rights due diligence laws in Germany, France and the EU introduce legally binding obligations for large companies to ensure respect for human rights, including workers fundamental rights, throughout their global operations and supply chains. For unions in Asia Pacific, where many global supply chains are based, this represents a significant opportunity to strengthen social dialogue with multinational companies. The laws require companies to engage with stakeholders such as trade unions at both global and local levels, potentially fostering more systematic and meaningful social dialogue on workers’ rights issues.

The forthcoming Competence Centre will bridge the gap between European legislation and global implementation through three focus areas:

• Building union capacity to use due diligence laws effectively
• Supporting specific cases of workers’ rights impacts
• Advocating for effective implementation of human rights due diligence laws with companies and policy makers.

Consultation workshop

An online consultation workshop was held on 15 January, attracting over 60 participants from UNI affiliates, sister global union federations, and FES country officers across Asia Pacific and Africa. This workshop marked the first significant event for 2025 and is part of a series of consultations that began in September 2024. The workshop, co-facilitated by Britta Utz (FES Trade Union Coordinator for Sub-Saharan Africa), Monica Tepfer (ITUC Legal Officer), and Miriam Neale (UNI Global Union), emphasized the crucial role of trade unions in HRDD implementation, including:

• Participating in dialogue on company due diligence policies and management systems
• Notifying companies of issues affecting workers’ fundamental rights
• Consulting workers on appropriate remedies
• Scrutinizing company reports for due diligence gaps
• Enforcing accountability when companies fail to conduct proper due diligence

The participants explored several case studies demonstrating the potential impact of HRDD laws, including strengthening global framework agreements, establishing credible worker complaints mechanisms, and using enforcement mechanisms.