Nathaniel Tetteh

Lecturer in Employment Studies

The role of multinationals and unions in terms of improving worker standards across the global south is a particular research interest for Nathaniel Tetteh.

As he explains: "The global regulation of labour standards has, in the absence of enforceable ‘hard' regulations at the transnational level, tended to focus in recent years on voluntary, private forms of ‘soft' regulation, often at the multinational level."

"Alongside this we have also seen the growing significance of international private regulation such as International Framework Agreements (IFAs) and Corporate Codes of Conduct which are used as tools by multinationals to implement their wider CSR objectives."

However, Nathaniel says the role of unions and the extent to which they engage with such forms of soft regulation remains under-researched.

"Where IFAs exist they do tend to encourage the development of unions in workplaces, so exploring the extent to which IFAs are used by multinationals becomes important as it links to the wider involvement of unions in organisations across the global south."

PhD study

This was the precise subject that Nathaniel explored for his PhD where he looked at the agency and role of labour in multinational subsidiaries in Ghana in west Africa.

In the paper he concluded that although unions were generally well represented in workforces they were not as effective as they could have been despite the existence of IFAs, while in some specific sectors unions had a stronger voice than in others.

"My analysis showed a divergence in terms of how multinationals engage with, and implement, international private regulation."

In terms of future areas of research Nathaniel is keen to look more broadly at relationships between multinationals and global supply chains, while also to study the role that such chains play in the circular economy.

Councillor role

Nathaniel combines his academic work with a number of public service roles. For instance, he has been a local councillor for Salford City Council since May 2021 and is passionate about creating change and bringing new development into the city.

He says there are also cross benefits between the worlds of academia and local politics. As he explains: "A lot of my colleagues at WEI are doing research which is looking at best practice in local government, so I can give a direct view from the ground. Salford Council also benefits from my role as an academic as I can see best practice in the academic literature in areas such as equality and diversity, and can then leverage that."

Nathaniel also has a strong take on the current challenges facing the NHS as he represents Salford Council as a governor on the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust Council.

Union role

Nathaniel is also BAME representative of the Regional Equality Forum at the GMB union which involves conveying the voice of black and ethnic minorities across the North West region.

Again, he says his own experience of seeing how the university sector has embraced diversity in the workplace is important. "I can see how this is absolutely on the agenda of universities now, and I can then share this best practice with the private sector."