Abstract
This article aims primarily to discuss the processes of transnationalization of trade union action in the clothing sector. A case study was conducted on a clothing production chain linked to the holding company Inditex, which owns one of the most valuable brands in the textile industry (Zara), supposing that workers in this sector face difficulties for engaging in collective action due to their weak capabilities of agency. Making use of qualitative methods with mixed techniques - surveys, interviews, bibliographical and archival research- the study focused on São Paulo city and compared its context with the disaster of Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh. Research findings indicate that, as compared to other sectors, trade union’s collective action in the clothing industry becomes diluted in institutional arrangements based on multistakeholder initiatives, which ultimately promote top-down decision-making and implementation processes, without influence or participation of grassroots workers, the ones who experience the precariousness of work conditions and violation of social and labor rights in the clothing production sector.
Keywords:
Gender; Intersectionality; Trade union transnationalization; Manufacture of clothing; International Trade Union Federations