The impact of migrant workers on the functioning of labour markets and industrial relations
Lead Research Organisation:
Keele University
Department Name: Inst for Public Policy and Management
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
| Description | The seminar series was organised in recognition of the continuing saliency of research into migrant workers against a background of economic recession and changing migration and asylum regimes across the European Union. A range of key policy issues were addressed including migration and settlement patterns, employer recruitment and redundancy strategies, the practices of recruitment agencies, the flexible utilization of migrant workers and their working (and living) conditions, government policy and the statutory regulation of the employment of migrant labour, and the organising strategies of trade unions in respect of migrant workers. Through a combination of invited and refereed papers from established and career young researchers as well as leading practitioners in the field, current developments affecting migrant workers were analysed by themes (health and safety, legal enforcement, learning and skills, trade union organising and the provision of support for migrant workers) and by sectors (construction, hospitality, agriculture, transport and logistics, and health). A second key objective of the series was to consider the theoretical and methodological problems associated with migration research. This was addressed through explicit presentations at the seminars (on historical frameworks for studying migration, the use and limits of quantitative data, ethnographic research, and researching undocumented working) but also as part of the discussion of thematic papers. The debates surrounding theory and methods benefited particularly from the participation of early career researchers, engagement with researchers from outside the industrial relations discipline and the involvement of those practitioners responsible for commissioning research. The seminar series has led to the development of a strong network of academic researchers and end users sharing the aims of developing further detailed empirical research in the area. However, the major outcome has been to emphasise the need for wider theoretical and methodological engagement when undertaking research and the benefit of widening the study of migration and industrial relations by integrating perspectives from other disciplines. |
| Exploitation Route | The series helped to increase the participation of industrial relations academics in wider research networks as well as providing early career researchers with contacts to more established academics to help them develop their research and publications. The scope for further research initiatives with the practitioners involved in the series may be limited by the significant cuts that statutory agencies, in particular, have recently faced, but their engagement will help to strengthen the areas identified for future commissioned research. The strong support for the series has been outlined above. Feedback opportunities for participants were included in the summary discussions held at the end of all seminars, but notably at the first seminar in Keele where it was possible to shape future seminars, at the UEA seminar in advance of the second call for papers, as well as at the end of the final seminar. In addition grant holders had many informal meetings with participants during the lunchtimes and other breaks at each of the seminars. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, from all of the groups identified in the aims and objectives of the series. Early career researchers and doctoral students stated that they had been made to feel welcome at the events and had good opportunities to network. Those early career and doctoral students who presented noted the supportive atmosphere but also the constructive criticisms of work which prepared them at conferences. They particularly highlighted the usefulness of the theoretical and methodological discussions in helping them shape their research. Practitioners highlighted the opportunity to inform interested researchers about their own work, their respective organisations' priorities and the wider discussion of migration which helped them to contextualise their own work. They were particularly interested in the sessions which explained how research was conducted and its relative strengths and limitations as this helped them in their work analysing research for policy purposes |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Retail,Transport |
| URL | http://www.clr-news.org/CLR-News/ |
| Description | To ensure that the key themes identified in the series' objectives were addressed the organisers carefully structured the seminars into specific themes. These were identified clearly in the call for papers and general promotion of the series, identified at the first seminar (e.g. French) and were used as criteria when selecting participants for the seminars - both invited papers and those (anonymously) selected by abstract submission. The result was that nine of the twenty-six papers delivered by academics focussed upon theoretical and methodological themes. Further, a core group consisting of the grant holders and key participants also attended all the seminars and were able to ensure that methodological and theoretical issues were discussed along with the empirical findings presented in the majority of research papers. To ensure that the findings and outputs were raised and disseminated to the academic and practitioner community, the seminar organisers worked through professional associations and personal networks (e.g. the British Universities Industrial Relations Association, industrial relations and critical labour studies JSIC lists, the TUC, GFTU, Migrant Rights Network, ACAS and EHRC) to publicise the seminar series. The research grant was also structured to ensure that a number of free places were offered to doctoral students at each seminar (in addition to fully funding the nine career young academics and doctoral students presenting at seminars). Dissemination of the findings beyond seminar participants has been facilitated by the website and mailing list |
| First Year Of Impact | 2007 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice,Retail |
| Impact Types | Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | Longitudinal research into the utilisation of migrant workers and their employment experiences |
| Amount | £21,800 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Sir Halley Stewart Trust |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2014 |
| End | 05/2015 |