Tuesday 31 December 2019

Kim (2019) A Review Essay of Robert O'Brien's Labour Internationalism in the Global South


Scipes, Kim. 2019. A Review Essay of Labour Internationalism in the Global South: The SIGTUR Initiative, by Robert O’Brien. Journal of Labor and Society 22(4): 920-25.


Robert O'Brien's latest book is an interesting look at a generally unknown labor initiative across the Global South that has developed over the past 30 years, uniting trade unions and labor activists for mutual protection and militant labor action, and to advance the interests of workers globally. This book, and the project it describes, deserves the serious attention of transnational activists, those both working in the labor movement and beyond.

....

Ellem, Goods and Todd (2019) Rethinking Power (BJIR)


Ellem, Bradon, Caleb Goods and Patricia Todd. 2019. “Rethinking Power, Strategy and Renewal: Members and Unions in Crisis.” British Journal of Industrial Relations, published online 1 October. 

Abstract


Why are some unions unable to rebuild membership and bargaining coverage despite significant changes in strategy? We examine the trajectory of a key union in a vital sector, the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, calling into question aspects of the union renewal literature. Much scholarship sees members’ associational power as a power resource that can cover the loss of other power resources, but we show that this assumption does not necessarily hold. To explain why members are not necessarily a resource in renewal, we argue that studies of renewal must more fully consider the interplay between different forms of power resources — institutional, structural and societal — and locate union strategies within that dynamic. Critically, this interplay also shapes members’ perceptions of their power, which may further limit a union's options as it responds to external threats.

Wednesday 31 July 2019

Michael Roberts (2019) Strikes in the Long Depression


Michael Roberts. 2019. “Strikes in the Long Depression.” Michael Roberts Blog. June 18. 

Strikes in the Long Depression


Jorg Nowak, a fellow at the University of Nottingham, UK has just published Mass Strikes and Social Movements in Brazil and India:: popular mobilisation in the Long Depression.  Nowak argues that in the 21st century and in this current long depression in the major economies, industrial action is no longer led by organised labour ie trade unions, and now takes the form of wider ‘mass strikes’ that involve unorganised workers and wider social forces in the community.  This popular mobilisation is closer to Rosa Luxemburg’s concept of mass strikes than the conventional ’eurocentric’ formation of trade unions.

Sunday 30 June 2019

Barratt and Ellem (2019) Regional Studies


Barratt, Tom and Bradon Ellem. 2019. “Temporality and the Evolution of GPNs: Remaking BHP’s Pilbara Iron Ore Network.” Regional Studies. Published online on 4 April: 1-10.

Ellem, Sandstrom and Persson (2019) European Journal of Industrial Relations


Ellem, Bradon, Johan Sandstrom and Curt Persson. 2019. “Neoliberal Trajectories in Mining: Comparing Malmfälten and the Pilbara.” European Journal of Industrial Relations. First published on 9 May: 1-16.



We compare the iron ore sectors and mining regions of Malmfälten in Sweden and the Pilbara in Australia. Both are physically isolated and the product is economically vital, but we find differences in industrial relations which accord with what would be expected in coordinated and liberal market economies. A closer examination, attentive to history and geography and in which changes in institutional form and function are highlighted, reveals, however, that these differences are more apparent than real, and that there is a common neoliberal trajectory. This analysis also suggests that changes in these sites at times drive transformations in national industrial relations.

Friday 31 May 2019

Campbell, Tranfaglia, Tham, and Boese (2019) in Labour & Industry


Campbell, Iain, Maria Azzurra Tranfaglia, Joo-Cheong Tham, and Martina Boese. 2019. “Precarious Work and the Reluctance to Complain: Italian Temporary Migrant Workers in Australia.” Labour and Industry 29(1): 98-117.


Abstract
The reluctance of many temporary migrant workers (TMWs) to challenge poor wages and conditions is an important puzzle for both research and policy. This article explores the puzzle by drawing on in-depth interviews with Italian TMWs who have had recent work experience in food services and/or farms in Australia. The article describes their experiences of precarious work, marked by widespread and systematic underpayment of wages in breach of minimum wage regulation. It shows that few Italian TMWs challenged underpayments, whether through collective or individual action. The article reviews the varied rationales offered by the interviewees for their reluctance to pursue an individual complaint about underpayments. It finds that fear of employer reprisals was a powerful and understandable barrier to action. Also influential, however, were attitudes that had the effect of downplaying the significance of low pay in the current job, for example, by means of a judgment that the current job is only a temporary stage in a long-term life-course project. The findings indicate that reluctance to complain needs to be situated in relation to other forms of migrant worker agency, both within and outside the workplace, and the social relations in which they are embedded.

Campbell (2019) Zero hours work arrangements in New Zealand


Campbell, Iain. 2019. “Zero Hours Work Arrangements in New Zealand: Union Action, Public Controversy and Two Regulatory Initiatives.” Pp. 91-110 in Zero Hours and On-Call Work in Anglo-Saxon Countries, edited by Michelle O’Sullivan et al. Berlin: Springer Press.


Abstract

This chapter focuses on the intriguing story of a campaign in New Zealand against zero hours contracts, which began with trade union action in the fast food industry and spread quickly to the national parliament, where legislation aimed at prohibiting zero hours contracts was unanimously passed in 2016. It outlines the socio-economic context, pointing to the legacy of radical neoliberal reforms in the 1990s, which removed working-time protection for many employees and led to a proliferation of casualised work practices, including zero hours work arrangements. It reviews evidence concerning the extent and profile of zero hours work arrangements, the negative impacts on precariousness or insecurity and the causes of growth. The chapter suggests that the recent regulatory initiatives, centred on a principle of guaranteed minimum hours, fall short of abolition of zero hours work arrangements, but they nevertheless represent a valuable step forward for New Zealand workers and they offer important lessons for similar campaigns in other countries.

Keywords

Zero hours Casual On-demand Permanent Collective bargaining Fast food Legislation 

Campbell, Macdonald and Charlesworth (2019) On-demand work in Australia


Campbell, Iain, Fiona Macdonald and Sara Charlesworth. 2019. “On-demand Work in Australia.” Pp. 67-90 in Zero Hours and On-Call Work in Anglo-Saxon Countries, edited by Michelle O’Sullivan et al. Berlin: Springer Press.


Abstract

This chapter examines on-demand (or ‘on-call’) work in Australia, understood as work arrangements in which the worker agrees to be available for work and is called into work as and when she/he is needed by the employer. We focus on the two main types of on-demand work: (a) zero hours work arrangements; and (b) minimum-hour work arrangements. Both are highly precarious forms of work, linked to negative consequences for workers. On-demand work has been neglected in much employment relations research in Australia, but it embraces a substantial minority of the workforce and constitutes a significant challenge for research and policy. The chapter outlines the emergence of on-demand work within regulatory gaps associated with casual work and permanent part-time work. It summarizes what is known about on-demand work and on-demand workers, drawing both on secondary labour force statistics and on case-study evidence in selected industries and enterprises. It concludes by noting the surprising lack of effective regulatory responses and by suggesting principles for future reform.

Keywords

Casual On-demand Part-time Labour regulation Fair work commission Regulatory responses 

Dave Bleakney and Aziz Choudryon (2019) in Canadian Dimension


Bleakney, Dave and Aziz Choudry. 2019. “Lessons in Labour Struggle: From the Margins to the Centre.” Canadian Dimension 52(4): 28-32.


Injustice at Unist’ot’en

Volume 52, Issue 4: Winter 2019

Tuesday 30 April 2019

Micah Uetricht and Barry Eidlin (2019) “U.S. Union Revitalization and the Missing ‘Militant Minority’” (Labor Studies Journal)


Micah Uetricht and Barry Eidlin. 2019. “U.S. Union Revitalization and the Missing ‘Militant Minority.’” Labor Studies Journal 44(1):36-59.


    Debates on U.S. union decline and revival usually focus on policy, technical, or political fixes. Missing are discussions of bringing workers together to act collectively at work. This has historically been the job of a “militant minority,” workplace activists (often leftists) who brought militancy and dynamism to unions, dedication and personal sacrifice in organizing, who linked workplace and community struggles, who were involved in unions’ day-to-day activities, and who connected rank and filers to leadership. This layer is largely missing today, making labor revitalization difficult. In explaining who the “militant minority” was, how it worked, and why it disappeared, we can find clues for rebuilding it.

    Elizabeth Humphrys (2019) “Halcyon Days?" in The Far Left in Australia since 1945 (ed. by Piccini, Smith and Worley)


    Elizabeth Humphrys. 2019. “Halcyon Days? The Amalgamated Metal Workers’ Union and the Accord.” Ch. 13 in The Far Left in Australia since 1945, edited by Jon Piccini, Evan Smith and Matthew Worley. London: Routledge: London.


    The far left in Australia had significant effects on post-war politics, culture and society. The Communist Party of Australia (CPA) ended World War II with some 20,000 members, and despite the harsh and vitriolic Cold War climate of the 1950s, seeded or provided impetus for the re-emergence of other movements. Radicals subscribing to ideologies beyond the Soviet orbit – Maoists, Trotskyists, anarchists and others – also created parties and organisations and led movements. All of these different far left parties and movements changed and shifted during time, responding to one political crisis or another, but they remained steadfastly devoted to a better world.
    This collection, bringing together 14 chapters from leading and emerging figures in the Australian and international historical profession, for the first time charts some of these significant moments and interventions, revealing the Australian far left’s often forgotten contribution to the nation’s history.
    The Far Left in Australia since 1945: 1st Edition (Hardback) book cover

    Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D’Cruz and Muneeb Ul Lateef Banday (2018) Navigating Embeddedness (Journal of Business Ethics)


    Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D’Cruz and Muneeb Ul Lateef Banday. 2018. Navigating Embeddedness: Experiences of Indian IT Suppliers and Employees in the Netherlands.” Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-4071-3 


    21.11.2018 | Original Paper

    Navigating Embeddedness: Experiences of Indian IT Suppliers and Employees in the Netherlands

    Zeitschrift:
     
    Journal of Business Ethics
    Autoren:
     
    Ernesto Noronha, Premilla D’Cruz, Muneeb Ul Lateef Banday

    Abstract

    In this article, we shift the usual analytical attention of the GPN framework from lead firms to suppliers in the network and from production to IT services. Our focus is on how Indian IT suppliers embed in the Netherlands along the threefold characterization of societal, territorial and network embeddedness. We argue that Indian IT suppliers attempt to display societal embeddedness when they move to The Netherlands. Our findings reveal that the endeavour by Indian IT suppliers to territorially dis-embed from the Dutch context is reinforced by their peripheral position in the network and their ability to offshore work in a bid to contain costs, in addition to the influence of client domination. Therefore, territorial embeddedness is considered to be secondary to societal embeddedness which is intertwined with client interest while neglecting the interest of other network members. Nonetheless, the inter-firm relationship is complex, given the tension between societal, territorial and network embeddedness. While preferring Indian IT suppliers because of their low pricing, Dutch clients also insist on compliance with the institutional context of the Netherlands especially when it comes to Dutch employees. This results in hybridization which means that Indian IT suppliers find ways to adhere to the institutional framework for Dutch nationals while simultaneously insulating Indian employees from the same. Consequently, a highly unfair segmented internal labour market develops, with Dutch nationals being treated more favourably as compared to Indian nationals. Nonetheless, to address these violations, Indian employees prefer individual strategies of resilience and rework rather than a collectivization response.

    Ernesto Noronha, Saikat Chakraborty and Premilla D’Cruz (2018) Doing Dignity Work (Journal of Business Ethics)


    Ernesto Noronha, Saikat Chakraborty and Premilla D’Cruz. 2018. “‘Doing Dignity Work’: Indian Security Guards’ Interface with Precariousness.” Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-018-3996-x



    22-08-2018 | Original Paper

    ‘Doing Dignity Work’: Indian Security Guards’ Interface with Precariousness

    Journal:
     
    Journal of Business Ethics
    Authors:
     
    Ernesto Noronha, Saikat Chakraborty, Premilla D’Cruz

    Abstract

    Increasing global competition has intensified the use of informal sector workforce worldwide. This phenomenon is true with regard to India, where 92% of the workers hold precarious jobs. Our study examines the dynamics of workplace dignity in the context of Indian security guards deployed as contract labour by private suppliers, recognising that security guards’ jobs were marked by easy access, low status, disrespect and precariousness. The experiences of guards serving bank ATMs were compared with those working in large reputed organisations. The former reported loss of dignity though their inherent self-worth remained partially intact, whereas the latter reclaimed dignity despite the precarious working conditions and the absence of unions. Guards from large reputed organisations evolved strategies by which they took advantage of the client’s  vulnerabilities, developed ‘thick’ relationships at work and immersed themselves in 'doing dignity work' to ensure that they are not disposable. ‘Doing dignity work’ was a visible device which involved actions that met or went beyond the norms laid down by the client and was used by security guards to limit the extent of their precariousness. Since the opportunity to reclaim dignity was facilitated by large reputed clients’ adherence to legal regulations, we see implications of the study for the moral economy.

    Sunday 31 March 2019

    Andreas Bieler, Jamie Jordan and Adam David Morton (2019) "EU Aggregate Demand as a Way out of Crisis?" (Journal of Common Market Studies)


    Bieler, Andreas, Jamie Jordan and Adam David Morton. 2019. “EU Aggregate Demand as a Way out of Crisis? Engaging the Post-Keynesian Critique.” Journal of Common Market Studies. First Published: 30 January 2019. 


    JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies banner

    Original Article 
     
    Full Access

    EU Aggregate Demand As a Way out of Crisis? Engaging the Post‐Keynesian Critique

    First published: 30 January 2019
     

    Abstract

    Post‐Keynesians have delivered an important advance in providing explanations of the Eurozone crisis, not the least in demonstrating how the formation of the European integration project lacked the means to manage effectively the macroeconomic imbalances between core and peripheral spaces across the region. Through a critical engagement with such descriptions, this article argues that to account more adequately for the formation of the asymmetrical and crisis‐ridden forms of development across the Eurozone it is necessary to focus on the uneven and combined development of Europe's peripheral spaces and their integration into an expanded free trade regime since the 1980s. It is through a focus on the structuring condition of uneven and combined development shaped by capitalist social relations of production and attendant class struggles that we can locate the origins of the present crisis.
    Keywords

    Jenny Chan, Manjusha Nair and Chris Rhomberg (2019) "Precarization and Labor Resistance" (Critical Sociology)


    Chan, Jenny, Manjusha Nair and Chris Rhomberg. 2019. “Precarization and Labor Resistance: Canada, the USA, India and China.” Critical Sociology. First Published: 18 March.


    Precarization, in its form and consequences, varies across workers, sectors and geographies. The five articles in this special issue examine ways that workers have struggled with and against precarious labor in different contexts, from low-wage retail and service workers in Canada and the USA, to manufacturing and construction workers in India and China. In particular, they show that the role of the state has been crucial in shaping the terrain of struggle at the workplace and in the wider community. They argue that against all odds protesting workers have repeatedly exercised some power to influence employer and government policies.

    Jenny Chan (2019) Challenges of Dispatch Work in China (AsiaGlobal Online)


    Chan, Jenny. 2019. “Challenges of Dispatch Work in China.” AsiaGlobal Online. First Published: 21 March.

    Industry Analysis

    Challenges of Dispatch Work in China

    As China embraces the digital economy, subcontracting—the practice of using intermediaries to contract workers, whether through agencies or other multilayered contracting—is raising new challenges over legal protections and corporate responsibility, as well as labor unrest.

    Jenny Chan is an assistant professor of sociology at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a recipient of Early Career Scheme funding (2018-2020) awarded by the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (ref. 25602517). Prior to joining the university, she was a lecturer of sociology and contemporary China studies at the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, and a junior research fellow at Kellogg College, University of Oxford. She is the vice president of the International Sociological Association’s Research Committee on Labor Movements (2018-2022). “Dying for an iPhone: Apple, Foxconn and the Lives of China’s Workers” is her first coauthored book with Mark Selden and Pun Ngai.






    Jenny Chan (2019) State and Labor in China, 1978-2018 (Journal of Labor and Society)


    Chan, Jenny. 2019. “State and Labor in China, 1978-2018.” Journal of Labor and Society. First Published: 21 March.


    Journal of Labor and Society banner

    ORIGINAL ARTICLE 
     
    Full Access

    State and labor in China, 1978–2018

    First published: 21 March 2019
     
    Funding information: Early Career Scheme of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong (2018‐2020), Grant/Award Number: RGC/Gov No.: PolyU256025/17H

    Abstract

    China's reintegration into global capitalism has greatly transformed migration patterns and labor relations since the late 1970s. This article focuses on worker activism in this transformation. It shows that the dynamic interactions between worker mobilization and government reaction have continued to shape the forms and outcomes of labor contention. Aggrieved workers have used legal and extralegal strategies to defend their rights and interests. In response, from the early 2000s, the leadership has sought to preserve social stability by raising minimum wages, extending social insurance coverage, and expanding access to grievance redress. But freedom of association remains severely restricted. Labor nongovernmental organizations and more recently a new generation of left‐wing university students have attempted to fill the representation gap to support workers in struggle. State and labor relations remain contentious in Chinese development.

    Biography

    • Jenny Chan is an assistant professor of sociology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a vice president of The International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Labor Movements (2018–2022). Dying for an iPhone: Apple, Foxconn and the Lives of China's Workers is her first coauthored book with Mark Selden and Pun Ngai (available in multiple languages).

    Thursday 31 January 2019

    Hao Zhang and Eli Friedman's article, "Informality and Working Conditions in China's Sanitation Sector"


    Zhang, Hao and Eli Friedman. 2018. “Informality and Working Conditions in China’s Sanitation Sector.” The China Quarterly. Published online: 6 Dec 2018.