Local Worker Representation as a Catalyst for Effective Grievance Mechanisms: A collaborative case study of the Dindigul Agreement

Abstract

Non-judicial grievance mechanisms are integral to corporate human rights due diligence, yet they often fail to fulfil their promise. Too frequently, grievance mechanisms do not effectively serve the workers and communities they are designed to protect, despite their potential to drive life-changing improvements. This article examines how integrating local worker representation can create effective grievance mechanisms, using the Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment as a case study. With a community-based trade union at its core, the Dindigul Agreement grievance mechanism functions as an equitable enforcement tool that strengthens company–community relations, promotes human rights, and provides a framework for preventing and remedying forced labour risks within supply chains. This article is meant to provide an instructive example of how meaningful stakeholder engagement can act as a catalyst for more effective grievance mechanisms. Furthermore, it can serve as inspiration for practitioners and scholars seeking to confront forced labour and other systemic labour rights abuses by prioritising local voices and lived realities in the implementation of due diligence obligations.