The structural invisibility of outsiders: the role of migrant labour in the meat-processing industry

Lever, John ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2188-8518 and Milbourne, Paul ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3346-885X 2017. The structural invisibility of outsiders: the role of migrant labour in the meat-processing industry. Sociology 51 (2) , pp. 306-322. 10.1177/0038038515616354

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Abstract

This article examines the role of migrant workers in meat-processing factories in the UK. Drawing on materials from mixed methods research in a number of case study towns across Wales, we explore the structural and spatial processes that position migrant workers as outsiders. While state policy and immigration controls are often presented as a way of protecting migrant workers from work-based exploitation and ensuring jobs for British workers, our research highlights that the situation ‘on the ground’ is more complex. We argue that ‘self-exploitation’ among the migrant workforce is linked to the strategies of employers and the organisation of work, and that hyper-flexible work patterns have reinforced the spatial and social invisibilities of migrant workers in this sector. While this creates problems for migrant workers, we conclude that it is beneficial to supermarkets looking to supply consumers with the regular supply of cheap food to which they have become accustomed.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races
Uncontrolled Keywords:	civilising process, invisibility, liminality, meat processing, migrant workers, outsiders, Wales
Additional Information:	This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Publisher:	SAGE
ISSN:	0038-0385
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	7 April 2016
Date of Acceptance:	1 October 2015
Last Modified:	05 May 2023 20:06
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/88687

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