Are vulnerable workers really protected in New Zealand?

Increasing migration to New Zealand is indicative of globalisation's influence on working arrangements and employment conditions. Although the "compression of time and space" (Harvey, 2000: 16) has opened borders and increased opportunity for many, it has also exacerbated worker vulne...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:New Zealand journal of employment relations 2014-01, Vol.39 (1), p.52-67
Main Authors: Anderson, Danaë, Tipples, Rupert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Collective labor agreements
Contractors
Dairy farmers
Dairy industry
Dairying
Employers
Employment
Enforcement
Exploitation
Exports
Farmers
Foreign workers
Government policy
Horticulture
Labor unions
Migrant labor
Migrant workers
Migration
Organizing
Protection
Regulatory agencies
Seasonal labor
Studies
Work environment
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Summary:Increasing migration to New Zealand is indicative of globalisation's influence on working arrangements and employment conditions. Although the "compression of time and space" (Harvey, 2000: 16) has opened borders and increased opportunity for many, it has also exacerbated worker vulnerability for a sizeable proportion of workers. One subset of such workers are migrants. Migrant workers often obtain precarious work through community connections or labour contractors; some have language difficulties; and a significant proportion of these migrants work in sectors with relatively high accident rates. It may be assumed, therefore, that they are likely to be more vulnerable to work accidents and injuries (Benach, Muntaner, Delclos, Men ndez & Ronquillo, 2011). Initially, we explore who are categorised as vulnerable workers using Sargeant and Tucker's 2009 framework; concluding that, for many, protection is largely rhetoric not reality. Then we ask three questions: What are the existing protections for New Zealand's vulnerable workers? Secondly, why are these mechanisms ineffective? Finally, what can be done to improve the protection of such vulnerable workers?
ISSN:1176-4716
1179-2965
1179-2965