Beyond strategy? The social construction of precarious workers organising in the city of Buenos Aires

ATZENI, M.

Coventry

Congreso; Work, Employment and Society Conference; 2013

Warwick University

The paper presents preliminary findings of an ongoing, case studies based, qualitative, research on the organization and collective mobilization of precarious workers in the city of Buenos Aires. The aim of the paper is to show empirically how specific factors structuring workers? social reality create material opportunities and circumstances that can favourably or unfavourably influence workers? attempts at organising. Rather than looking at unions, NGO and/or other labour friendly institutions strategies for organising precarious workers and at workers? responses to these, the paper starts from a bottom up approach at organising centred on workers? self-activity. This is mediated by a complex set of factors, which include the labour process, the institutional and legal framework, the socio-political context and the role of the informal/precarious sector within the overall economy. This approach helps to raise fundamental questions about the structuring of workers? collective interests, solidarity and democracy and overall to frame precarious workers? organising within debates on class and movement.