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Picking on vulnerable migrants: precarity and the mushroom industry in Northern Ireland

Author

Listed:
  • Michael Potter

    (Queen’s University Belfast, UK)

  • Jennifer Hamilton

    (University of Ulster, UK)

Abstract

This article examines precarious employment in the context of the mushroom industry in Northern Ireland. Migrant workers engaged in mushroom picking were interviewed in the context of wider research investigating forced labour in Northern Ireland. The research found that, while the boundaries between exploitation and forced labour are complex and difficult to discern, there was some evidence of borderline forced labour, according to ILO definitions. However, workers found themselves on a ‘continuum of exploitation’, where initial engagement with the prospect of decent work was superseded by increasing endurance of exploitative practices, brought about by unequal power relationships with employers originating in immigration status. This is examined in the wider theoretical context of precarity, of which precarious employment comprises a part.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael Potter & Jennifer Hamilton, 2014. "Picking on vulnerable migrants: precarity and the mushroom industry in Northern Ireland," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 28(3), pages 390-406, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:28:y:2014:i:3:p:390-406
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Christian Fieseler & Eliane Bucher & Christian Pieter Hoffmann, 2019. "Unfairness by Design? The Perceived Fairness of Digital Labor on Crowdworking Platforms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(4), pages 987-1005, June.
    2. Dominika Polkowska, 2016. "Feminizacja prekariatu. Polska na tle innych krajów Europy / Feminization of Precarity. Poland Compared to Other Countries," Annales. Ethics in Economic Life, University of Lodz, Faculty of Economics and Sociology, vol. 19(2), pages 31-49, May.
    3. Lovanirina Ramboarison-Lalao & Chris Brewster, 2018. "Theorizing Career Success for Low Status Migrants," John H Dunning Centre for International Business Discussion Papers jhd-dp2018-02, Henley Business School, University of Reading.

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