Intervening in globalization: the spatial possibilities and institutional barriers to labour’s collective agency

Cumbers, Andrew, Featherstone, David, MacKinnon, Danny, Ince, Anthony ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5279-0997 and Strauss, Kendra 2016. Intervening in globalization: the spatial possibilities and institutional barriers to labour’s collective agency. Journal of Economic Geography 16 (1) , pp. 93-108. 10.1093/jeg/lbu039

Preview

PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version Download (475kB) | Preview

Abstract

Trade unions are facing a series of challenges around place-based forms of work in industries such as construction, transport and public services. New spatial strategies by employers involving corporate reorganization, increased outsourcing and the use of migrant labour, allied to a deepening of neoliberal governance processes are accelerating a race to the bottom in wages and conditions. Drawing upon the experience of two recent labour disputes in the UK—at Heathrow Airport and Lindsey Oil Refinery—we explore the potential for workers to intervene in such globalizing processes. We highlight both the ability of grassroots workers to mobilize their own spatial networks but also their limitations in an increasingly hostile neoliberal landscape.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Publisher:	Oxford University Press (OUP)
ISSN:	1468-2702
Funders:	Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	2 September 2014
Last Modified:	25 Nov 2024 19:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/85468

Citation Data

Cited 15 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item