Employment Relations in Outsourced Public Services: Working Between Market and State

‘Intended’ and ‘unintended’ consequences of the privatisation of health and social care systems in Italy in light of the pandemic

“…Pressures towards outsourcing and budget constraints have resulted in a strong dualisation between the private workforce, which has borne the brunt of cost containment strategies and outsourcing, and public workers, who have remained highly protected and unionised. This dualism reflects the institutionalisation of a two-tier workforce within public organisations (Mori, 2020), with huge consequences in terms of employment protections and inequalities within the labour market. This institutional configuration has further weakened trade unions, caught between the need to mitigate the harmful impacts of outsourcing on public sector workers and obstacles to representing 'outsiders', who are left at the mercy of private employers.…”

“…In the health-care sector, service externalisation and privatisation have mainly concerned ancillary services (Mori, 2020). However, substantial changes have also been introduced within public providers and the health-care system.…”

“…The presence of different employment agreements created unequal conditions for workers. In terms of pay and other components of the employment relationship (such as working hours, holiday, time off and leave), the most unfavourable agreements are those in the private for-profit and non-profit sector (Dorigatti et al, 2020;Mori, 2020).…”

Towards an Understanding of the Dynamics of Work and Employment Relations during Austerity

“…Public organisation research has largely explored the significance of austerity measures and attempted to clarify the most adequate procedures and tactics for improving public services. However, research has rarely explored the effects of such measures on the job-holders who are ultimately responsible for delivering said public services (Kiefer, Hartley, Conway, & Briner, 2014;Mori, 2020).…”

“…The effects of the 2008-2009 financial crisis were severe for the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland (Hodson & Quaglia, 2009;Lane, 2011;Mori, 2020). Both countries experienced a significant decline in their real gross domestic product (GDP) which also affected the finances available for public services (Stanley, 2016).…”