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Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation

Publisher:
Pluto Journals
Publication date:
2023-02-28
ISBN:
1745-6428

Description:

This journal aims to bring together insights from political economy, the sociology of work, organisational theory, economic geography, development studies, industrial relations, comparative social policy, communications studies, technology policy and gender studies, to create a single authoritative source of information on the new global division of labour, combining theoretical analysis with the results of empirical research in a way that is accessible both to the research community and to policy makers.

Issue Number

Latest documents

  • Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation
  • Click farm platforms

    The article analyses work on click farm platforms in Brazil and Colombia. It argues that work on these platforms updates and renews the historical informality of work in Latin America. Drawing on click farm ethnography, worker interviews and digital ethnography on WhatsApp and Facebook groups and Youtube channels, the research highlights: first, the cultural marks of Brazil and Colombia in the interactions between workers, typical of Latin American digital culture; second, the role of Youtubers as skill makers, responsible for the initiation of workers into click farm platforms and the circulation of neoliberal and entrepreneurial ideology; third, practices and discourses relating to reselling accounts, photos and bots as a new version of the historical resale markets in the region; and fourth, the boundaries between informality and illegality at work on click farm platforms. The article argues that, in addition to informal work that preceded and is connected to work on click farms, informality gains new dimensions with work on click farms, with the platformisation of labour representing an articulation between the old informality and new market practices and infrastructures.

  • Teleworking in Portuguese public administration during the COVID-19 pandemic

    This article seeks to characterise teleworking in public administration during the COVID-19 pandemic. It draws on a study that aimed to collect the perceptions of Portuguese public servants about this phenomenon. Findings show that, in general, perceptions of workers and managers about teleworking are more positive than negative. It seems that teleworking in public administration has succeeded despite perceptions of insufficient equipment supply and some stigmatisation of teleworkers. The article also sought to investigate whether the perception of the potential advantages and disadvantages of teleworking, with special emphasis on work-life balance, varies according to the workers’ gender and number of dependents. The study found that this was indeed the case. However, there were also differences relating to workers’ motivation. The study found that a significant proportion of Portuguese public servants felt more motivated when performing their activities as teleworkers.

  • Gender inequality in the labour market of Ukraine

    Gender inequality is one of the fundamental manifestations of socio-economic differentiation of the population, leading to different opportunities for self-realisation for women and men in society. This makes it an important topic for analysis even though there may be different views on the matter. The labour market conditions that existed in Ukraine until the end of February 2022 exacerbated the problems of gender inequality in employment. These problems were manifested in unequal opportunities for women and men in public administration, education, employment, income and property. The research uses general and specific scientific methods – dialectical, historical, analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction – to study the legislative frameworks governing gender equality in the European Union (EU) and Ukraine in determining the current state of women’s employment in Ukraine and Europe. In this context, the purpose of this article is to identify the features of gender inequality in the labour market of modern Ukraine, as well as to identify its causes and solutions.

  • Ingrained interests and path-dependency

    This study is a sociological exploration of changes and interrelationships between production systems, management systems and employment relations through a case study of a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) which has undergone substantial restructuring and reforms in an agriculture-dominated region that has witnessed rapid industrialisation. It draws on data collected through qualitative interviews, focus group discussions and workplace observation and participation. The findings suggest that while market, efficiency and performance have become the dominant discourse in China’s SOEs, various organisational actors have reconstructed their identities, engaged in constant negotiations and continued formal and informal rules that supported their interests.

  • Organising as a catalyst for improving work conditions among informal quarry workers in Ghana

    Organising has been suggested as one way to achieve decent working conditions among informal workers. This study examines how informal workers in Ghana are using organising as a catalyst for improving their working conditions. The study adopted an exploratory qualitative research design, using interviews, focus group discussions, documentary review and observation. Qualitative interpretative analysis methods were used to analyse the data. The study found that welfare-based organisations served as a catalyst for trade union organising among quarry workers. Despite the challenges confronting them in organising, informal quarry workers were able to improve their working conditions through a collective agreement with management. Specific indicators of work improvement included appointment letters for job security, hours of work and overtime, wages and salary (compensation), and training and development of workers to enhance their skills and competencies. The study concluded that organising informal workers served as a catalyst for ensuring decent working conditions among quarry workers in Ghana. This leads to the recommendation that formal trade unions organising in the quarrying districts should be resourced to be able to organise informal quarry workers in the stone quarry sub-sector of Ghana to achieve decent work conditions for informal workers in Ghana.

  • Behind, through and beyond capitalist platforms

    This article aims to put forward an overarching typology of platform-related work. First, it places the platformisation of productive processes within a characterisation of informational capitalism. Then it proceeds by distinguishing between work behind and through capitalist platforms. The former refers to the informational, industrial and service work and workers who keep the platforms up and running. The greater part of the article is devoted to discussing the latter. This second category is further divided into three sub-categories of work and workers: ‘gig labour’, ‘prosumers’ and ‘self-employed owners’. Finally, platform work and labour beyond capitalist platforms are addressed, with a further sub-typology. Here, three types of beyond-capitalist platforms are identified: co-ops, commons-based peer production and state-owned agencies.

  • Workforce globalisation, language and discourse

    The globalisation of the labour market creates new challenges for organisations when hiring. This article addresses one such challenge that is rarely in the spotlight: the implications of the choice of a language proficiency test for non-native speakers by the hiring organisation. We use the UK National Health Service (NHS) recruitment practices as an example. With the help of a staged experiment, this practice-based study argues that the current international recruitment procedure to the NHS tends to underestimate some important differences between language as a formalised system of words and grammatical rules and discourse as ‘language in action’, causing the loss of staffing capacity. It follows from our analysis that when setting the requirements and objectives of a language test, the recruiting organisations need to consider more explicitly the social and cultural context in which their employees operate and the impact of this context on the communication demands faced by the staff.

  • Conceptual principles of international cooperation in labour relations

    In today’s world, the issue of respect for and observance of human rights in the field of labour relations is rather important. Ensuring human rights and freedoms is no longer just a domestic affair, but the goal of the entire world. The purpose of the study is to analyse the current state of Ukraine’s international cooperation with foreign countries in general, and the European Union in particular. It identifies problematic aspects of implementing international standards in the field of labour protection using national legislation and solutions.

  • Work Organisation, Labour & Globalisation

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