Social Reproduction, Flexible Labour Markets and the Resurgence of Gang Labour in the UK - Research Paper Example

? Unfree Again: Social Reproduction, Flexible Labour Markets and the Resurgence of Gang Labour in the UK Kendra Strauss publication: 2012 Journal Volume 45, Issue 1 Student’s name: Session: Date submitted: 1. Introduction In the introduction the paper begins with a short story of a young woman who leaves her home in china and moves to the UK in search of greener pastures. Upon reaching the UK the lady was picked by a gangmaster and is forced to work in deplorable conditions and in the course of her work, she and others drawn. This short story is known as anecdote and is meant to provoke the reader into reading more of the article to get to know how events turn out. A short story is important in an argument because it captures the attention of the reader and also gives a hint on what the entire argument wants to solve or accomplish. Indeed, the story in the introduction is from a film that was developed to in reaction to a tragic situation in which the author says led to the ‘ … deaths of more than 20 Chinese cockle pickers at morecambe bay in Lancashire in 2004’. A brief historical account of the gangmasters and gang labour is provided together their functions. It is also clear in the introduction the direction the discussions and arguments will take. The author dwells so much on the ills of the system in which gangmasters control and provide labour at the expense of the poor labourers. Thus he provides some clues on what the paper will tackle. For instance, the author tries to explain the term social reproduction by considering varied definitions and coming up with the best that suits the situation. She further says that ‘in this paper I will use social reproduction… as a starting point and theoretical lens for examining the reemergence of gang labour in the UK’. Here we also get to know that she will be dealing in detail with the issue of gang labour and the factors that encourage it and also what the government and concerned groups are doing about it. 2. Arguments The first argument that comes to the fore is concerned with the term social reproductions. Probably if a proper definition is provided which takes all factors such as the feminist and Marxist concerns on board, then the issue of unfree labour which is a characteristic of gangmasters would be fully understood. The author highlights the fact that little research has been done as pertains how gangmasters conducted their work in the past and also in the modern world. Strauss says that ‘there is thus relatively little research that examines the operations of gangmasters in their historical context, and even less that examines current practices of gang labour.’ Straus claims that the reemergence of gangmasters was as the result of the repeal of the Corn Laws. He supports this argument by saying that this repeal opened up British markets to competition which in turn led to a reduction of food prices and affected agricultural profits. Thus gangmasters emerged because they offered cheap labour hence ensuring that the profits margins remained high. The author suggests that more should be done to identify the origin or nationality of gang workers. He says that mainly the gang workers come from European countries but that there are also some whose accounts are undocumented and provides the case of the character in the film at the introduction known as Ai Qin. More research is therefore needed to ascertain the places these workers come from, their identities and other factors if the issue of unfree labour is to be properly addressed. Another argument advanced by Strauss is that though numerous studies have been conducted on the gangmaster issue, and recommendations made such as the establishment of the Gangmaster licensing Act(GLA), there is not much that has been done to indicate that the working conditions of workers and housing has been improved. He further claims that GLA is not executing its mandate to the fullest and this could be probably due to what Strauss (quoting MAFF 1999) said that ‘the government was seen to prefer and promote voluntary codes of practice and self regulation…’ Certainly more studies need to be done to see whether the gang workers working and living conditions have improved. 3. Structure of the paper The paper is presented in a logical manner right from the introduction to the conclusion. Being logical means that the subject matter is introduced at the introduction and the reader informed of what the paper will encompass. This includes definition or description of terms that will be used such as unfree labour and social reproduction. The body is what carries the main arguments, counterarguments and suggestions. This paper has been divided into three main parts which are meant to expound on the writers subject. These parts actually contribute to the whole or overall theme of the author. The first part is ‘social reproduction’ and it is concerned with how the term is described by different people and the application of the concept by the author. The main issue here is the use of the workers to make huge profits to the employers at their own expense. The second part is ‘the gang labour system in the UK’ and is concerned with the historical account of the gangmaster issue up to the present. It also looks at studies initiated by the government and concerned groups to look into the gang workers plight and the regulation of gangmasters. The third and final section is concerned with cheap food as the main ingredient in the gangmaster/gang worker/situation. Other sections are the “ Unfree Labour and Politico- Legal Responses’ which is concerned with the effects of gang labour and its regulation, and the ‘conclusion’ which sums up the entire paper and provides the author’s insights. Effects of gang labour include the use of profane language and girls and boys working in close proximity while regulatory mechanisms include establishment of Acts such as the Gangmasters Licensing Act 2004. 4. Literature The works used to lend weight to this paper include studies done, their results, proposals or conclusions. For example, there is Picchio and the studies she made concerning political economy and labour market. Another study used here is the 2003 report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) and peter’s ‘An outline history of British food prices’. Books authored by credible writers have also been used and this gives credibility to what Strauss has written and thus is convincing. 5. Methodology The author in this instance uses document analysis. He looks and draws conclusions based on the works of others and offers appropriate citations and referencing. The information from these sources is used to boost claims by the author and in some instances direct quotations are used. Numerical data is also used to emphasize key points such as the cheap food policy. 6. Conclusion The conclusion gives the entire picture of what the paper involves plus the opinions of the author on the subject. The author looks at the interests of different classes and factors of production labour being key and food being a factor to consider. An issue seen in the conclusion but wasn’t addressed much in the paper is the claim that apart from poor working conditions and poor pay the gang workers including migrants and asylum seekers they have no access to social welfare resources. Strauss notes that ‘there has been surprisingly little contemporary research that seeks to analyse food prices in relation to the costs of production, wage levels and, and accumulation’. This means then that more studies should be conducted in this area. 7. Bibliography For any work to be credible, the researcher or author has to cite credible texts to back his/her claims and make the work valid. The author in this piece cites 75 sources of which books are 37, journals are 34, internet sources 2, report 1 and a collection of papers is 1. It is worth noting that the author did not use Wikipedia because of credibility issues. This is because one has to know in detail who the authors of materials are and whether they are an authority or not. Work cited Strauss, K. 2012. Unfree Again: Social Reproduction, Flexible Labour Markets and the Resurgence of Gang Labour in the UK. Antipode, Volume 45, Issue 1, pages 180–197, January 2013 Read More