'Disappearing Workers’: Foxconn in Europe and the changing role of Temporary Work Agencies

Rutvica Andrijasevic, Devi Sacchetto

Research output: Contribution to journalLetter (Academic Journal)peer-review

47 Citations (Scopus)
728 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This article investigates the role of Temporary Work Agencies (TWAs) at Foxconn’s assembly plants in the Czech Republic. Drawing on the ethnographic fieldwork, it shows TWAs’ comprehensive management of migrant labour: recruitment and selection in the countries of origin, cross-border transportation, work and living arrangements in the country of destination, and return to the countries of origin during periods of low production. The article asks whether the distinctiveness of this specific mode of labour management can be understood adequately within the framework of existing theories on the temporary staffing industry. In approaching the staffing industry though the lens of migration labour analysis, the article reveals two key findings. Firstly, TWAs are creating new labour markets but do so by eroding workers rights and enabling new modalities of exploitation. Secondly, the diversification of TWAs’ roles and operations transformed TWAs from intermediaries between capital and labour to enterprises in their own right.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)54-70
Number of pages17
JournalWork, Employment and Society
Volume31
Issue number1
Early online date29 Feb 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2017

Research Groups and Themes

  • Gender Research Group
  • Global Political Economy
  • Perspectives on Work
  • Migration Mobilities Bristol
  • MGMT Work Organisation and Public Policy

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