Labour inspection and worker vulnerability
L’inspection du travail face aux différentes formes de vulnérabilité des travailleurs-euses
Congress 2024 of the Swiss Sociological Association
Congrès 2024 de la Société suisse de sociologie
Published on Thursday, November 23, 2023
Abstract
The globalisation and digitalisation of the economy have accelerated automation, the fragmentation of corporations and the development of new organisational forms. These trends have made employment more precarious. Demographic evolutions, technological change and environmental degradation have also created new risks for workers. Against this backdrop of growing vulnerability, regulatory institutions such as labour inspection have an important role to play in ensuring compliance with health, safety, pay and employment standards. This workshop aims to understand how these issues are articulated in different national contexts.
Announcement
Argument
The world of work is facing extraordinary challenges. The globalisation and digitalisation of the economy and the COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated automation, the fragmentation of corporations and the development of new organisational forms (platforms and teleworking). These trends have made employment more precarious (incl. the rise of temporary and on-call work, bogus self-employment, etc.) and working conditions less favourable (inadequate legal cover, low pay, increased health risks, etc.), particularly for the most vulnerable workers. Demographic evolutions (e.g. changes in migration patterns), technological change (e.g. artificial intelligence) and environmental degradation (e.g. extreme temperatures) have also created new risks for workers.
Against this backdrop of growing vulnerability, regulatory institutions such as labour inspection have an important role to play in ensuring compliance with health, safety, pay and employment standards. This role is even more important given that, since the 1970s, social partnership, and unions in particular, have been steadily weakening in terms of their ability to organise and protect, particularly the most precarious and vulnerable workers.
Topics
This workshop therefore aims to explore the following three areas :
Labour inspection’s response to changes in the labour market
At the national level, the impact of changes in the labour market varies according to the regulatory institutions, organisation, resources and approach of the inspection services in terms of health and safety and working conditions. Ho do these services assess the various changes in the labour market ? What challenges do these changes pose for the protection of health and working conditions ? What are the challenges for inspectors in the field ?
Strengths and limitations of existing labour inspection systems
Labour inspection systems differ in terms of the presence of other actors responsible for monitoring the labour market, the areas in which inspections are carried out (health & safety, working conditions) and their resources and skills. What are the strengths and limitations of existing labour inspection systems in responding to the vulnerability of workers ? What are the debates regarding labour inspection reforms ?
How does labour inspection deal with worker vulnerability ?
Labour inspection has been called upon to adapt its organisation and mode of intervention in response to changes in the labour market. What internal reorganisation measures have labour inspectorates adopted ? Are changes in the labour market modifying intervention approaches ? Do these measures and issues encourage or hinder collaboration with other labour market regulation institutions, in particular the social partners ?
Submission guidelines
Papers are invited on one or more of the three proposed themes ; they can be in German, French or English. Proposals of up to 2,000 characters (including spaces) should be sent to the workshop co- organisers:
- aris.martinelli@hetsl.ch
- alessandro.pelizzari@hetsl.ch
- nicolas.ponsvignon@supsi.ch
By January 15th, 2024 at the latest
Convenors
- Aris Martinelli (Haute école de travail social et de la santé Lausanne, HETSL)
- Alessandro Pelizzari (Haute école de travail social et de la santé Lausanne, HETSL)
- Nicolas Pons-Vignon (Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana, SUPSI)
Subjects
- Economics (Main category)
- Society > Sociology > Sociology of work
- Society > Economics > Political economics
- Society > Economics > Labour, employment
- Society > Political studies > International relations
- Society > Political studies > Governance and public policies
- Society > Sociology > Economic sociology
Places
- University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland - Hofackerstrasse 30
Basel, Switzerland (4132)
Event attendance modalities
Full on-site event
Date(s)
- Monday, January 15, 2024
Keywords
- inspection du travail, régulation du marché du travail, sécurité au travail, santé au travail, relation industrielle
Information source
- Aris Martinelli
courriel : aris [dot] martinelli [at] hetsl [dot] ch
License
This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.
To cite this announcement
« Labour inspection and worker vulnerability », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Thursday, November 23, 2023, https://doi.org/10.58079/1c8x
