ABSTRACT

The political economy of labour landscapes in resource-dependent regions continues to transform with important implications for workers, families, communities, service providers, businesses, and industries. Over time, mobile work has created a new form of worker-employer dependence where some elements of traditional local labour relationships exist, but other elements have shifted. In this paper, we focus on evolving mobile workforce practices and their associated implications for workers in the construction sector. In particular, we look at how the changing demand for mobile labour in Canada has shifted the negotiating power of both industry and workers. Within this context, we find that underdeveloped industry policies and weak senior government regulatory regimes have not kept pace with the realities of these changing mobile work landscapes. Drawing upon our case study of BC Hydro’s Site C dam project in British Columbia, Canada, we situate new institutionalism within the political economy of mobile work to expand understanding of how stakeholder behaviours are affecting labour practices. Among our key findings are that industry stakeholders have failed to renew workplace policies and processes to reflect mobile labour practices. The result has been a dis-orienting environment for mobile workforces where many of the impacts or externalities associated with mobile work have been transferred to workers, their families, and their communities.

摘要

资源依赖地区的劳动力格局的政治经济学继续发生变化，对工人，家庭，社区，服务提供者，企业和行业产生重要影响。随着时间的流逝，流动工作创造了一种新的形式，即劳资关系，传统的本地劳资关系的某些要素存在，但其他要素已经发生了变化。在本文中，我们重点关注不断发展的流动劳动力实践及其对建筑行业工人的影响。特别是，我们着眼于加拿大不断变化的流动劳动力需求如何改变了行业和工人的谈判能力。在此背景下，我们发现行业政策不完善和政府高层监管制度薄弱，无法跟上这些不断变化的移动工作环境的现实。根据对加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省BC Hydro的Site C大坝项目的案例研究，我们将新的制度主义置于移动工作的政治经济学之内，以扩大对利益相关者行为如何影响劳工实践的理解。在我们的主要发现中，行业利益相关者未能更新工作场所政策和流程以反映流动劳工做法。结果造成了流动劳动力的迷失方向，其中与流动工作相关的许多影响或外部性已转移到工人，其家庭和社区。在我们的主要发现中，行业利益相关者未能更新工作场所政策和流程以反映流动劳工做法。结果造成了流动劳动力的迷失方向，其中与流动工作相关的许多影响或外部性已转移到工人，其家庭和社区。在我们的主要发现中，行业利益相关者未能更新工作场所政策和流程以反映流动劳工做法。结果造成了流动劳动力的迷失方向，其中与流动工作相关的许多影响或外部性已转移到工人，其家庭和社区。