Martijn Boersma – The Conversation

Steven Markham/AAP

January 15, 2026

After decades of decline, this is how unions can rebuild their role in Australian work

Martijn Boersma, University of Sydney and Emmanuel Josserand, University of Sydney

How one union’s changing strategy over 30 years led to historic recent wins, including a landmark $90 million payout from Qantas.

EgorTetiushev/Shuttersrtock

August 25, 2024

Australians now have the right to disconnect – but how workplaces react will be crucial

Emmanuel Josserand, University of Technology Sydney and Martijn Boersma, University of Sydney

Having a law that allows the right to disconnect is one thing, commitment to that right is another.

Hafiz Johari/Shutterstock

January 22, 2024

More forced marriages and worker exploitation – why Australia needs an anti‑slavery commissioner

Martijn Boersma, University of Notre Dame Australia; Fiona McGaughey, The University of Western Australia; Justine Nolan, UNSW , and Shelley Marshall, RMIT University

Appointing an anti-slavery commissioner is critical to stamping out abuse of more than 40,000 people in Australia who trapped by forced marriages or controlling employers.

Dave Hunt/AAP

January 31, 2023

Australia’s cotton farmers can help prevent exploitation in the global garment industry

Martijn Boersma, University of Notre Dame Australia; Alice Payne, Queensland University of Technology, and Erin O'Brien, Queensland University of Technology

Producer responsibility is increasingly being used to deal with the environmental costs of production. It can also be used to deal with social issues.

Computer chip and circuit board factory, Jiangxi, China. Shutterstock

March 16, 2020

The real economic victims of coronavirus are those we can’t see

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney and Justine Nolan, UNSW

Workers further down supply chains are being left destitute and exposed to exploitation.

Global supply chains have struggled to deal with poor working conditions including child labour, forced labour and debt slavery. Shutterstock

May 2, 2019

Blockchain can help break the chains of modern slavery, but it is not a complete solution

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney and Justine Nolan, UNSW

Blockchain is a promising tool to fight modern slavery by making global supply chains more accountable. But there a few kinks to be worked out.

Apple’s wealth is built on a vast and hugely profitable supply chain that relies on low-cost production in Asia. Ym Yik/EPA/AAP

August 6, 2018

Apple, the $1 trillion company searching for its soul

Thomas Clarke, University of Technology Sydney and Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

The company’s value exceeds the GDP of many countries, but Apple has human rights, ethical and environmental problems to match in its vast supply chain.

Certification is being used to curtail exploitation for some cleaners. Shutterstock

September 7, 2017

How to stop businesses stealing from their employees

Sarah Kaine, University of Technology Sydney; Emmanuel Josserand, University of Technology Sydney, and Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

Wage theft and exploitation are rampant in certain industries. Certifying those that commit to fair work conditions could be key to fixing the problem.

Research shows when there are three women on a board, as opposed to one, they are seen as individuals rather than the “female voice”. Image sourced from Shutterstock.com

March 7, 2016

Companies prefer ticking boxes to breaking the glass ceiling

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

Australia’s largest companies are happy to tick gender reporting boxes, but when it comes to pay equity they are largely silent.

Australian banks have been lauded internationally for sustainability, but dogged by domestic scandal. Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

July 16, 2015

Australia’s banking four pillars wobbly on sustainability record

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

There is a schism between the symbolic and substantive sustainability efforts of our Big Four banks.

Over half of Australia’s imported goods come from the Asia Pacific, which has 78 million child labourers, including these three in a Bangladesh balloon factory. EPA/Abir Abdhullah

October 30, 2014

Global supply chains link us all to shame of child and forced labour

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

The fragmentation of global production has dramatically increased the length and complexity of supply chains. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that more than…

A lot of ideas about entrepreneurs are based on myth, according to new research. Flickr/Thomas Hawk

May 20, 2014

The ‘myth’ of the Australian entrepreneur

Danielle Logue, University of Technology Sydney and Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

We are still awaiting the details of the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Program, and how this may impact the Australian entrepreneurial ecosystem. While this program is estimated to…

Civilians rescue an injured worker after the eight-storey Rana Plaza garment factory collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 24. AAP

June 13, 2013

Mind the gap: company disclosure discrepancies not sustainable

Martijn Boersma, University of Technology Sydney

The recent decision by two Australian retailers to sign an accord protecting suppliers in Bangladesh has highlighted discrepancies in company disclosure of sustainability issues and the need for clearer…

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