Staying under the radar: constraints on labour agency of pineapple plantation workers in Costa Rica?

Gansemans, Annelien; D’Haese, Marijke

doi:10.1007/s10460-019-09998-z

Cited by 9 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 53 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Whether migrant farmworkers will assert their rights and challenge the socially unjust treatment on the part of growers depends in part on whether the policy framework permits workers to change employers. By and large, those who are not permitted to do so tend to accept harsh living and working conditions (Fialkowska & Matuszczyk, 2021), a strategy that some researchers coin "constrained loyalty" (Gansemans & D'Haese, 2020;Sexsmith, 2016). The lack of mobility within the labour force and the disproportionate power granted to employers to determine whether a worker is to remain in the program or be repatriated supress agency among migrant farmworkers in Canada.…”

Section: Migrant Farmworkers In Quebec: Compliance and Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Candiz¹,

Basok

Bélanger

2023

SSJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Migrant farm workers recruited under Canada’s temporary employment programs work in difficult environments, under poor working conditions, and live in unsafe housing in remote rural communities. Fearful of repatriation or replacement, many accept their working and living conditions as part of a necessary sacrifice to improve their living conditions and those of their families in the countries of origin. At the same time, some migrant farm workers assert their agency by escaping from farms, subverting regulations, or challenging various forms of discipline used to control their bodies and activities. Following Isin and Nielsen (2008), we refer to these actions as “acts of citizenship.” Drawing on research conducted among migrant farm workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in the province of Quebec, Canada, we situate these acts, particularly the tendency to escape from abusive and exploitative working relationships, in a particular space and time shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic. More specifically, we demonstrate the link between these acts and certain conditions and opportunities that arose at that time, such as increased support for migrant farmworkers by a non-governmental organization and the facilitation of movement of migrant farmworkers across the Canada-U.S.-border by the “migration industry.”

show abstract

Section: Migrant Farmworkers In Quebec: Compliance and Resistancementioning

confidence: 99%

Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Candiz¹,

Basok

Bélanger

2023

SSJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…More broadly, the Costa Rican case highlights lessons for the growing international literature on the role of migrants in activism and their capacity to capitalize on political opportunities (Basok & Lopez-Sala, 2015;Cohen & Hjalmarson, 2020;Dias-Abey, 2018;Mešić & Wikström, 2021). Former studies have warned us that when migrants publicly demand changes to their conditions, they become vulnerable to retaliations by employers, risking deportation or being fired from their jobs (Gansemans & D'Haese, 2020;Vosko, 2019). Their activism is more digestible for the public if migrant demands align with more generalized concerns, in this case health related.…”

Section: Final Reflections: a Lost Opportunity?mentioning

confidence: 99%

A Lost Opportunity? Collective Demands and Migrant Farmworkers in Costa Rica during the Pandemic

Voorend

Abarca

Leandro

2023

SSJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The COVID-19 pandemic induced an overexposure of migrant farmworkers’ poor working and living conditions in Costa Rica’s northern border area and underscored the country’s dependence on migrant labor. This created a unique opportunity to position pro-migrant concerns and demand actions from the state. In this article, we assess if and to what extent the actions of the Costa Rican state were influenced by migrant demands, or whether other priorities guided policy. Based on a novel database on protest and collective action (Protestas-IIS) that is fed with national and local newspaper articles, we analyze the demands made by migrants, the private sector and NIMBY movements, and state responses. Our findings suggest that the latter prioritized market concerns and antiimmigrant interests, thereby underscoring lessons from the literature that migrants are among the politically most disenfranchised in society. Their demands were only partially responded to by the state, and only concerning issues that aligned directly with public concerns, in this case related to health.

show abstract

“…However, these associations are not recognised by the ILO as independent worker representation because of possible management interference (Robert 2008). The Costa Rican political environment has not been conducive to trade unions either, as exemplified by weak state enforcement, slow judicial procedures, unfavourable legal provisions and little political will to undertake far‐reaching labour reforms (Gansemans and D'Haese 2019; Martens et al . 2018).…”

Section: Research Context: the Pineapple Sector In Costa Ricamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Several factors constrained mobilisation: the negative perception attached to unions, workforce characteristics (limited education and awareness, migrants, flexible contracts) and weak government enforcement (Gansemans and D'haese 2019). Moreover, the pertinence of solidarity associations remained a major barrier to union organisation in Costa Rica.…”

Section: Four Phases In the Social Dialogue Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planting Seeds for Social Dialogue: An Institutional Work Perspective

Gansemans

Louche

D’Haese

2020

Brit J Industrial Rel

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The paper seeks to understand how social dialogue can emerge in an anti-union context. Building from an institutional work perspective, we investigate how Dole in Costa Rica went from resisting to accepting social dialogue with two pineapple unions. The findings show that social dialogue is the result of a combination of convening, enabling, empowering and monitoring work involving a triadic relationship between supplier, international buyer and unions. Four stages were identified during which actors learned to collaborate and power relations were transformed. The paper highlights the importance of the dynamic nature of the triadic relationship in influencing social dialogue in a global value chain where production is located in an anti-union environment. The findings provide unique evidence on the role of the international buyer in supporting social dialogue as convener, facilitator, mediator and advisor. Acknowledegment:JEL Codes: J53, Q13 #1464 AbstractThe paper seeks to understand how social dialogue can emerge in an anti-union context. Building from an institutional work perspective, we investigate how Dole in Costa Rica went from resisting to accepting social dialogue with two pineapple unions. The findings show that social dialogue is the result of a combination of convening, enabling, empowering and monitoring work involving a triadic relationship between supplier, international buyer and unions. Four stages were identified during which actors learned to collaborate and power relations were transformed. The paper highlights the importance of the dynamic nature of the triadic relationship in influencing social dialogue in a global value chain where production is located in an anti-union environment. The findings provide unique evidence on the role of the international buyer in supporting social dialogue as convener, facilitator, mediator and advisor.

show abstract

Staying under the radar: constraints on labour agency of pineapple plantation workers in Costa Rica?

Cited by 9 publications

References 53 publications

Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Acts of Citizenship in Time and Space among Agricultural Migrant Workers in Quebec during the COVID-19 Pandemic

A Lost Opportunity? Collective Demands and Migrant Farmworkers in Costa Rica during the Pandemic

Planting Seeds for Social Dialogue: An Institutional Work Perspective

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About