Law, due diligence, and logistics in GPNs: associational and legal strategies at the labour protest in Gräfenhausen, Germany

In recent years, national and international legal frameworks have been enacted to regulate labour conditions in global production networks (GPNs). These regulations, such as the German Supply Chain Act (Lieferkettensorgfaltspflichtengesetz, or LkSG), address transnational companies’ responsibility for their business practices by laying down due diligence obligations. Since the LkSG came into force, workers have had a new legal avenue to assert their rights. In this article, we present the findings of our qualitative study of two truckers’ protests in Gräfenhausen, Germany, in spring and summer 2023. Non-European drivers employed by the Polish logistics company Mazur organised these protests. They reported limited access to the health system, a lack of decent sleeping and hygiene facilities, low wages and long periods of work away from home. During the protests, both the Polish logistics company and the German client companies were held accountable and had to pay the workers, as the protests received widespread public attention and sparked discussions about the LkSG and road transport more broadly. Building on previous research, we contribute to the discussions on the protests by analysing the interplay between labour struggles and legal strategies, with a particular focus on the role of the German due diligence law. In doing so, we present and analyse the legal and associational strategies used to support the truck drivers, thereby contributing to a critical perspective on legal struggles.