I Call Center in Marocco: uno studio sulle condizioni di lavoro nel settore

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-170
Author(s):  
Francesca Galiazzo

Abstract This article examines the main factors behind bad working conditions in the Call Centers of Morocco. The research is based on fieldwork including 15 semi-structured interviews and in the analysis of government records, labour legislation, academic studies, statistics and other reports from international organizations. The interviews were carried out in Arabic and French in 2018 in Casablanca, Rabat, Fès, Meknès and they involved workers, former workers, trade union leaders and employers from the Call Center sector. Thanks to the interviews we are able to assess in detail the issues faced by workers and, consequently, to explore them. The article highlights the fact that the bad working conditions are caused by a combination of multiple factors, such as the effects of neoliberal reforms, the economic dependence on Europe but also the inefficiency of the labour inspections. The first part discusses the broad factors including the telecommunications’ sector reforms, international agreements, legal and tax reforms that exacerbate directly or indirectly the working conditions. The second part aims to investigate the centers organization and other micro-factors that affect the possibility of claiming rights and speaking out against unfair practices.

2021 ◽  
pp. 136078042110400
Author(s):  
Tiago Vieira

Throughout 2020, the Spanish Government initiated the process of regulating all activities related to platform work with the purpose of ‘chasing the fraud of bogus self-employment’ (PSOE and Unidas Podemos, 2020). Somewhat surprisingly, this initiative was met by a substantial wave of protest from the workers who the government proclaimed to be attempting to protect. In this light, the present research explores the arguments of the Spanish sí soy autónomo (yes I am self-employed) movement in its struggle against the Spanish Government. Drawing from a critical discourse analysis of semi-structured interviews to couriers of Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Glovo, as well as to a representative of an association in favour of the preservation of the self-employed status (N = 20), the main finding is that the pursuit of self-employment status is primarily informed by workers’ attempt to escape the precarious working conditions offered to wage-earners in the Spanish labour market as a whole, rather than by an empirically grounded claim. This suggests that new labour legislation addressing the challenges posed by platform work must not overlook the broader context in which it is intended to unfold – otherwise, it may not only fail to improve the workers’ situation, but also drive them to demand what are, actually, further deregulated legal arrangements. As such, this article’s main contribution to the sociological knowledge consists of pointing out that platform work, specificities notwithstanding, cannot be seen as detached from the broader Work landscape.


ILR Review ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia Doellgast ◽  
Peter Berg

This study examines how different participation rights and structures affect employee control over working time. The analysis is based on a comparison of matched call center and technician workplaces in two major telecommunications firms in Germany and Denmark. It draws on data from semi-structured interviews with managers, supervisors, and employee representatives between 2010 and 2016. Unions and works councils in both firms agreed to a series of concessions on working time policies in the early 2010s in exchange for agreements to halt or reverse outsourcing. The authors use Lukes’ concepts of decision-making and agenda-setting power to explain these common trends, as well as later divergence in outcomes. Germany’s stronger formal co-determination rights over working time proved a critical power resource for employee representatives as they sought to re-establish employee control in new, more flexible working time models.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole E. van Gelder ◽  
Ditte L. van Haalen ◽  
Kyra Ekker ◽  
Suzanne A. Ligthart ◽  
Sabine Oertelt-Prigione

Abstract Background The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown evoked great worries among professionals in the field of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) as they expected a rise of the phenomenon. While many countries reported increased DVA, the Netherlands did not. To understand this discrepancy and the overall impact of the lockdown on DVA support services, we interviewed DVA professionals about their experiences with DVA during the rise of COVID-19, the impact of the lockdown on clients and working conditions, and views on eHealth and online tools. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 16 DVA professionals with various specializations. This data was analyzed using open thematic coding and content analysis. Results Most professionals did not see an increase in DVA reports but they did notice more severe violence. They experienced less opportunities to detect DVA and worried about their clients’ wellbeing and the quality of (online) care. Furthermore, their working conditions rapidly changed, with working from home and online, and they expressed frustration, insecurity and loneliness. Professionals feel eHealth and online tools are not always suitable but they do see them as an opportunity to increase reach and maintain services when physical contact is not possible. Conclusion This study suggests DVA was probably under-detected during the lockdown rather than not having increased. The Dutch system heavily relies on professionals to detect and report DVA, suggesting a need for critical evaluation of the accessibility of professional help. Professionals experienced significant challenges and should themselves be supported psychologically and in their changed work practices to maintain their ability to aid survivors.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
María Ester Mancebo ◽  
Julia Pérez Zorrilla

In 2008, the Uruguayan General Education Law was enacted, stipulating the right to education and extending compulsory education from nine to fourteen years. This article analyzes the obstacles to design and implement educational policies to improve secondary education attainment rates during the governments headed by the Frente Amplio party from 2005 on. Using a qualitative approach, we employed a triangulation method that includes document analysis (laws and institutional reports) and 49 semi-structured interviews conducted between 2011 and 2015; the interviews covered government authorities, legislators, bureaucrats, experts and union leaders. We identified three potential causes of this policy gridlock: the institutional fragmentation of the educational system; the ideological disagreement between educational authorities and party members; and the teacher’s union veto. The educational policy stalemate in secondary education is explained by these multiple factors and their interaction.


2021 ◽  
Vol 74 (suppl 3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Silvia Esteves Morais ◽  
Gisele Fernandes Tarma Cordeiro ◽  
Angela Aparecida Peters ◽  
Tatiana Marques dos Santos ◽  
Rosa Gomes dos Santos Ferreira ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To analyze how the nursing team from a Psychosocial Care Center II relates its insertion in the service with the work process. Methods: Descriptive, analytical research outlined as a case study with a qualitative approach. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with nursing professionals and went through content analysis subsidized by Bardin’s work. Results: Two thematic categories emerged: a) Ways of intake in the nursing services at the Psychosocial Care Center; b) Setbacks in nursing routine at the Psychosocial Care Center. Final considerations: The fact that the professionals have not planned to work in mental health nor have training impacts the rhythm of psychosocial care development at the Psychosocial Care Center, forcing them to seek training in the field after admission. Unmotivated by the working conditions, the nursing team suffers from the absence of an interdisciplinary partnership and goes to great lengths to approach psychosocial care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 897-914
Author(s):  
Sabine Imad Arayssi ◽  
Rima Bahous ◽  
Rula Diab ◽  
Mona Nabhani

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research to establish an understanding whether research comprises a fundamental component in their career. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with language teachers and coordinators from various schools in Lebanon. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 language teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with language coordinators, and in-depth interviews with language teachers who are practitioner researchers. Findings Results indicated that research is a minority activity for language teachers due to lack of time, overwhelming working conditions and lack of flexibility in the workplace. Research limitations/implications There was a lack of cooperation between teachers and coordinators. Originality/value This study provides teachers in Lebanon with the opportunity of transforming their voice through participating in and being agents of research rather than solely observing the process which attempts to bridge theory to practice.


Author(s):  
Tanja Wirth ◽  
Janika Mette ◽  
Albert Nienhaus ◽  
Zita Schillmöller ◽  
Volker Harth ◽  
...  

Large parts of Europe have been affected by an influx of refugees and increasing homelessness in recent years. Social workers provide care services for refugees and homeless people, but little is known about their working conditions. The aim of this study was to examine their job demands, resources and health strains. 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers in refugee and homeless aid in Hamburg and Berlin between October and December 2017. The interviews were analysed following Mayring’s qualitative content analysis. Additionally, the job demands and resources of social workers with and without long-term psychological strain were compared. Respondents particularly experienced demands concerning their job content and work organisation, including emotional and quantitative demands. Appreciation expressed by clients and social support from the team served as key resources. Respondents had problems switching off from work, were exhausted and exhibited signs of long-term psychological strain, such as symptoms of burnout or depressive states. Workers reporting long-term psychological strain were more likely to consider themselves as being adversely constrained by legal requirements and to describe inadequate supervision offers and team conflicts. In conclusion, the results indicate the need for job-specific health promotion measures reducing particularly demands concerning social workers’ job content and work organisation and further strengthening their social support.


2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Norman ◽  
Tohr Nilsson ◽  
Mats Hagberg ◽  
Ewa Wigaeus Tornqvist ◽  
Allan Toomingas

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 508-516
Author(s):  
Soheila Alirezanejad

Purpose: Present study aims to seek the reason why some women are working in the informal sector while the payment is meagre and there is neither insurance nor any bonus. Methodology: Answering the above question, a mixed-method was designed (Grounded theory and survey). Data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Due to research limitations, quota sampling was used. During this research, 14 interviews were conducted with employed women in the informal sector. Discussions were open-ended. In addition, 180 questionnaires were filled out by participants. Main findings: Findings indicated that these women have to choose between unpaid, endless domestic work and complex low-wage employment in the informal sector. They have to work because they want to have autonomy, and they feel a responsibility towards their family, especially their children. Despite the low payment, their job brought about a sort of empowerment for them. Working in the informal sector let them support their family and achieve emotional capital. If they do not work in the informal sector, they have to work at home as an unpaid worker of their family. Application of the study: Women's employment in the informal sector has increased quickly during recent years, so examining their working conditions, especially from the point of view of salaries and benefits, can be effective in improving their living conditions Novelty/Originality: The reason for the increase in demand for work in the informal sector, especially by women, is an issue that has never been explicitly addressed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 704-713
Author(s):  
Collins Ogutu Miruka

We discuss in this study the problems of mobilization and effectiveness faced by Kenyan trade unions. In a country with high levels of unemployment and weak labour legislation, it is imperative that the labour movement devise ways of remaining relevant and effective. We combine in-depth interviews with a qualitative assessment of secondary documents on trade unions in Kenya. We do this by looking at topics addressed, characterizations of unions as well as major actors such as union leaders, workers, and political leaders. We argue that labour leaders need to enrich their vocabularies of persuasion in order to neutralize the current discourses around trade unionism in Kenya. Such an approach would enable the union leadership to acquire new repertoires of action to enhance their capacity to mobilize.


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