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.

KEYWORDS: Agency, temporary migrant workers, precarious work, wage theft, Italian migration

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