Precarious organizing and beyond: the case of arts and construction industry

P eca ious o ganizing and beyond: he case o a s and cons uc ion indus y Joana Ma ques & Luísa Veloso A3S & CIES-Isc e This p ojec has ecei ed unding om he Eu opean Union’s Ho izon 2020 esea ch and inno a ion p og amme unde he Ma ie Sklodowska-Cu ie g an ag eemen No 841164 Me hodology •Seconda y da a analysis •Eu os a (Labou Fo ce Su ey; Cul u al Employmen ; Indus y, ade and se ices) •INE – Po uguese Na ional S a is ics Ins i u e •Unions Repo s •In e iews wi h key in o man s •Digi al E hnog aphy ISA Fo um 2021 2 The Cons uc ion indus y • Labou -in ensi e sec o •P o iding “employmen o hose wi h li le educa ion o skill , many o hem om he poo e sec ions o socie y” (ILO 2001) • Highly agmen ed p oduc ion p ocess , based on "long and complex subcon ac ing chains as well as o he use o agency wo ke s, sel -employmen and ansien employmen ” (Danaj & Sippola 2015) •Unskilled, low-wage and and physically demanding/ insecu e jobs •High labou mobili y in ace o immobile p oduc s ISA Fo um 2021 3 The Cons uc ion indus y in Po ugal • Mobili y as amode o egula ion (Ma ques e al 2021): in e nal mobili y h ough daily o weekly commu ing & c oss-bo de mobili y (o en al e na ing wi h o he ac i i ies pa icula ly ela ed o amily a ming) – associa ed o a ce ain kind o “nomadism” (Pin o and Quei oz, 1996) •Inc eased agmen a ion and lexibiliza ion o he cons uc ion indus y, h ough a di ision o labou based on subcon ac ing chains , esul ing in inc easingly empo a y, mobile and insecu e employmen • Labou sho age :“Po ugal is in need o 100.000 wo ke s since a la ge pa o i s wo k o ce is ab oad” (in e iew wi h Po uguese Cons uc ion Union, Sep embe 2020) • Illegali y :“In he ield o cons uc ion in Po ugal, we hink ha 40%o wo ke s a e illegal, i is no p eca ious, i is illegal!” (in e iew wi h Po uguese Cons uc ion Union, Sep embe 2020). ISA Fo um 2021 4 The A s sec o • Highly quali ied p o essionals •Labou hype - lexibili y , “as i he a was a e men ing p inciple o capi alism” and he a is an exempla y igu e o he new wo ke , unc ional o he global economy (Menge 2003) • P eca i y as a mode o egula ion : a ious a ypical o ms o pe o ming a is ic wo k – sel - employmen , eelancing, pa - ime, lexible wo k a angemen s, unwaged wo k – associa ed wi h ins able, insecu e, in e mi en wo k and he absence o social p o ec ions •exis ence o a ese e a my o a is ic labou •widesp ead image o he ‘a is ic sel ’ and a is s’ belie ha hey consciously choose unce ain and unde paid wo king condi ions, o o e ing au onomy, eedom and sel - esponsibili y (Loacke 2013) • he p ocess o di e en ia ion o he a is ic labou ma ke , wi h eno mous inequali ies in e ms o success and emune a ion, leading o an apology o in e -indi idual compe i ion • Lack o adi ional o ms o wo ke s’ o ganiza ion (unions) ISA Fo um 2021 5 The A s sec o in Po ugal • S uc u al p eca i y has been ch onically exposed, including “in isible” non-c ea i e p o essionals in he a wo lds (media o s, ope a o s, echnicians) - absence o go e nmen esponse and illegali y ela ed o bogus sel -employmen •Re e ence p i a e cul u al ins i u ions ook ad an age o he c isis o ad ance neolibe al agendas o cu s and dismissals. • G ow h o collec i e s uc u es (union, social mo emen s, associa ions, collec i es), which ela es o: •The p ocess o decen alizing esponsibili ies in he a is ic domain ha we e adi ionally assumed by he public sec o •P eca i y and lack o op ions in e ms o wage labou . ISA Fo um 2021 6 Compa a i e mac o Ou look ISA Fo um 2021 7 Mobili y and abscence o a s able wo kplace WORKPLACE ECONOMIC ACTIVTY Employe 's P emises o Own P emises Home Clien s' Place No Fixed o O he No Response To al -All Nace Ac i i ies 78,0 2,3 8,3 7,3 4,0 Cons uc ion 23,9 - 54,3 15,7 5,6 A s, En e ainmen and Rec ea ion ; O he Se ice Ac i i ies; Ac i i ies O Household And Ex a -Te i o ial O ganiza ions And Bodies 79,4 3,7 10,7 3,2 3,0 ISA Fo um 2021 8 Sou ce: Eu os a ▶Li e a u e shows he impo ance o ha ing a s able wo kplace o he de elopmen o solida iees and he o maeon o poliecal subjec s. Table 1. Pe sons in in Cons uc ion, A s and To al Employmen by main Place o Wo k (%, Po ugal 2019) Independen wo k and bogus au onomy ISA Fo um 2021 9 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 To al - all NACE ac i i ies Cons uc ion A s, en e ainmen and ec ea ion Sou ce: Eu os a ; INE Fig. 1. Sha e o he Sel -employed in Cons uc ion, A s and To al Employmen (%, Po ugal 2011-2019) Concluding Rema ks •Despi e ep esen ing wo dis inc sec o s o he wo k o ce, hey p esen a se o simila i ies ha challenge he possibili ies o wo ke s’ o ganisa ion and mobilisa ion: • he empo a y, p ojec -based na u e o wo k, • he p eca ious employmen a angemen s, o en in o mal/ illegal; • he mobile na u e o wo k ac i i ies, no linked o a ixed wo kplace. •associa ed o p eca ious o ganizing •These wo ke s and hei o ganiza ions make a dense case o obse ing simul aneously he ongoing ans o ma ions and p eca iza ion p ocesses in he wo ld o wo k and, on he o he hand, con empo a y o ms o wo ke s’ collec i e o ganiza ion , as well as he challenges and cons ain s hey ace. • Nex s eps: In-dep h analysis o collec i e o ms wo ke s’ o ganiza ion. ISA Fo um 2021 16 Thank You! ISA Fo um 2021 17 Joana Ma ques Luísa Veloso [email p o ec ed] h ps://a3s.webnode.p