IKEA takes action to assure worker rights.

Supply chain worker's rights strikes a chord with many globally functioning organizations. One mishap, and a brand can be dragged through media's mud with the negative PR that typically follows uncovering of unethical supply chain activities.

IKEA has seen the writing on the wall, and is taking preemptive action to assure worker's rights are being respected in the logistical section of its supply chain.

Truck driver’s rights are notoriously overlooked in global-supply chain activities.

For this same reason, IKEA has begun “focusing on ensuring minimum wages, fair working hours and adequate rest times for all drivers” (Supply Chain Dive 2017).

A few months ago, a Dutch freight service- Brinkman Trans-Holland - contracted to aid IKEA’s logistical needs, was caught underpaying foreign truck drivers eight times less than the legal minimum rate for the Netherlands.

IKEA took action with prompt auditing, and is continuously working to eradicate driver exploitation.

IKEA is a company that understands sustainable development doesn’t solely reside within CO2 emissions or supplier training, but within the stability, health and rights of all its stakeholders.

The worker's rights of truckers, reside within an ever-changing landscape as the reality of self-driving vehicles closes in on the heels of businesses everywhere. Logistics is a market in a digital transformation with the addition of IoT, 3PL, wearables, Shared Economy and so much more.  

Currently, “Hours of Service are not only tracked electronically but are also scrutinized by clients of the lines for which they drive. Though the industry is currently facing a 90% turnover rate, laws and regulations are growing increasingly stringent, which could be pushing some drivers out, and some drivers away from the field” (Supply Chain Dive 2017).

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