1st Edition
The State of Labour The Global Financial Crisis and its Impact
This book analyzes the adverse effects of globalization and liberalization — acutely manifest in the increased financialization of capital and the concomitant global financial crisis of 2008–09 — on the labour force, especially in the developing countries. Drawing upon case studies from several countries including India, Columbia, Malawi, Brazil and Thailand, it highlights the worsening plight of working class as a whole and informal labour in particular. The essays examine issues such as down-sizing, lowering of wages, insecurity and erosion of labour rights, and show how labour is grappling with the situation.
The volume critically re-assesses varied aspects of the growing informal sector: its dubious credential as an employment provider during crises; its non-adherence to internationally recognized standards of decent work; the problems and potential of workers' unions; and the need for a regulatory regime. It also discusses changes in the Indian labour market induced by business environment and technology as well as its future dynamics. Presenting a historical review of labour markets, the work explores the deregulation wave under the globalization of 1980s and the interactions between existing unstable asset markets and labour markets.
The book will prove especially useful to students and scholars in economics, labour studies and sociology, and those engaged in public policy and governance.
Foreword Frank Hoffer. Introduction Sharit Bhowmik. 1. From the Crisis of Distribution to the Distribution of the Costs of the Crisis Özlem Onaran 2. Financial Liberalisation, Deregulated Labour Markets and New Asset Market Driven Capitalism Hansjorg Herr 3. Exploring the Link between Labour Market, Business Environment and Technology Bino Paul 4. Global Value Chains and Trade Union Strategies: Implementing International Framework Agreements Michael Fichter 5. Organising Workers beyond an Employment Relationship: A Case of Independent Drivers in Road Freight Transport Aelim Yun 6. ‘Decent Work Deficit’ in the Urban Informal Economy: Evidence from Street Vending in Mumbai Debdulal Saha 7. Capital Accumulation in the Peripheral City: Socio-Spatial Conflict and Urban Governance Dan Hawkins 8. Indian Labour Standards in Global Production Systems: A Study of IT Services and ITES/BPO Sector Babu P. Remesh 9. The New Work Order as Contested Terrain: A Case Study of Call Centres in South Africa Rahmat Omar 10. Informal Labour: Strategies for Protection Narumol Nirathron 11. From Fashion to Financial Products: Working Conditions in Chosen Units of C&A Lilian Arruda, Francine Modesto dos Santos and Vicente Gomes Macedo Neto 12. Globalisation and Transformation of Workplace: Need for New Forms of Trade Union Organisation Paliani Chinguwa.
Biography
Sharit K. Bhowmik is Professor and Chairperson, Centre for Labour Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.
