Umney, C. orcid.org/0000-0001-5757-920X, Stuart, M., Bessa, I. et al. (3 more authors) (2024) Platform labour unrest in a global perspective: How, where and why do platform workers protest? Work, Employment and Society. ISSN 0950-0170
Abstract
Labour unrest by platform workers is a growing global phenomenon, but several questions require deeper understanding. What motivates platform labour unrest? Which actors and strategies are involved? How does this vary across regions? Systematic answers are hindered by the lack of large datasets. Uniquely, this article analyses a global dataset comprising 1271 instances of platform labour unrest. It reveals two main dimensions of platform labour struggle: those defending or extending protective regulatory institutions (regulatory protests); and those seeking a larger share of value created (distributive protests). The former more often involve mainstream unions and methods like legal challenges. The latter more often involve grassroots organisation, and the collective withdrawal of labour and demonstrations. Theoretically, the article elaborates on Silver’s distinction between Marx-type and Polanyi-type labour unrest to explain and contextualise these findings. These patterns reveal variation within the growing wave of platform labour unrest that have not yet been systematically examined.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). |
Keywords: | Platform work; Labour unrest; Strikes; Protest; Quantitative methods; Precarious work; Worker organisation; Trade unions |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Business (Leeds) > Work and Employment Relation Division (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council) ES/S012532/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Oct 2023 15:57 |
Last Modified: | 12 Jan 2024 16:44 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | SAGE |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/09500170231209676 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:203901 |