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The vulnerable worker in Britain and problems at work

Author

Listed:
  • Anna Pollert

    (University of the West of England, anna.polleat@vive.ac.uk)

  • Andy Charlwood

    (University of York, ac614@york.ac.uk, Andy.charlwood@gmail.com)

Abstract

This article investigates the experience of low paid workers without union representation. It reports on the findings of a recent survey of 501 low paid, non-unionized workers who experienced problems at work. The results demonstrate that problems at work are widespread and, despite a strong propensity to take action to try to resolve them, most workers failed to achieve satisfactory resolutions. In the light of these results, we argue that the current UK Government definition of vulnerability is too narrow because our results suggest that a large proportion of low paid, unrepresented workers are at risk of being denied their employment rights. Therefore we question the ability of the UK's current system of predominantly non-unionized employment relations to deliver employment rights effectively and fairly.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Pollert & Andy Charlwood, 2009. "The vulnerable worker in Britain and problems at work," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 23(2), pages 343-362, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:23:y:2009:i:2:p:343-362
    DOI: 10.1177/0950017009106771
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Paul Smith & Gary Morton, 2001. "New Labour’s Reform of Britain’s Employment Law: The Devil is not only in the Detail but in the Values and Policy Too," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 39(1), pages 119-138, March.
    2. Paul Smith & Gary Morton, 1993. "Union Exclusion and the Decollectivization of Industrial Relations in Contemporary Britain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 31(1), pages 97-114, March.
    3. Maarten Goos & Alan Manning, 2007. "Lousy and Lovely Jobs: The Rising Polarization of Work in Britain," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 89(1), pages 118-133, February.
    4. William Brown & Simon Deakin & David Nash & Sarah Oxenbridge, 2000. "The Employment Contract: From Collective Procedures to Individual Rights," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 38(4), pages 611-629, December.
    5. Paul Smith & Gary Morton, 2006. "Nine Years of New Labour: Neoliberalism and Workers’ Rights," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 44(3), pages 401-420, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Laura Good & Rae Cooper, 2016. "‘But It's Your Job To Be Friendly’: Employees Coping With and Contesting Sexual Harassment from Customers in the Service Sector," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(5), pages 447-469, September.
    2. Andy Charlwood & Anna Pollert, 2014. "Informal Employment Dispute Resolution among Low-Wage Non-Union Workers: Does Managerially Initiated Workplace Voice Enhance Equity and Efficiency?," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 52(2), pages 359-386, June.
    3. Stephen Wood & Richard Saundry & Paul Latreille, 2017. "The management of discipline and grievances in British workplaces: the evidence from 2011 WERS," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 2-21, January.
    4. Rupert Harwood, 2016. "Can International Human Rights Law Help Restore Access to Justice for Disabled Workers?," Laws, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-23, April.
    5. Nathalie Greenan & Majda Seghir, 2017. "Measuring Vulnerability to Adverse Working Conditions: Evidence from European Countries [Mesurer la vulnérabilité à la dégradation des conditions de travail dans les pays européens]," Working Papers hal-02172377, HAL.
    6. Carmen UZLAU & Mariana BALAN & Corina-Maria ENE, 2017. "Labour Market Vulnerabilities In Romania During The Post- Crisis Period," Internal Auditing and Risk Management, Athenaeum University of Bucharest, vol. 46(2), pages 12-27, June.
    7. Asta Zokaityte, 2018. "The UK's Money Advice Service: Edu†Regulating Consumer Decision†Making," Economic Notes, Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, vol. 47(2-3), pages 387-412, July.
    8. Stephen Mustchin, 2014. "Union modernisation, coalitions and vulnerable work in the construction sector in Britain," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 121-136, March.
    9. Alexis Ioannides & Eleni Oxouzi & Stavros Mavroudeas, 2014. "All work and no … pay? Unpaid overtime in Greece: determining factors and theoretical explanations," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 39-55, January.

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