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‘They make a business out of desperate people’: The role of recruitment agents in cross-border labour chains

Author

Listed:
  • Christina Stringer

    (Department of Management and International Business, University of Auckland Business School, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)

  • Ani Kartikasari

    (Department of Global Value Chains and Trade, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand)

  • Snejina Michailova

    (Department of Management and International Business, University of Auckland Business School, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)

Abstract

This article examines the role recruitment agents play in the complex web of forced labour. Our focus is the abusive treatment of Indonesian crew onboard South Korean factory trawlers fishing in New Zealand’s waters. We gathered data from multiple sources: (1) documents, including Indonesia’s national legislation and migrants’ employment contracts; (2) 27 interviews with Indonesian crew; and (3) translation work for New Zealand government ministries, court cases, and film productions. We analyse how recruitment agents are implicated, as seen through the crew’s eyes, in three phases – before departure, onboard the vessels, and following their return home. JEL Classification: J81, F55, F66

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Stringer & Ani Kartikasari & Snejina Michailova, 2021. "‘They make a business out of desperate people’: The role of recruitment agents in cross-border labour chains," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 46(4), pages 672-689, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ausman:v:46:y:2021:i:4:p:672-689
    DOI: 10.1177/0312896220986895
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fishing; forced labour; global value chains; migrants; recruitment agents;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor

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