Romania’s societal transformation and labour struggles abroad – how missing income opportunities and the fear of dismissal inform practices of labour resistance

Christian Sperneac-Wolfer

doi:10.5771/1435-2869-2023-1-47

Contents
- Chapter Expand | CollapseAuthorsPage
- 1–4 Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis 1–4
- 5–6 Editorial 5–6
- 7–46 Is no employment better than self-employment? The story of how Romania managed to create a class of ‘invisible’ and forgotten workers Luana Miruna Pop Luana Miruna Pop 7–46
- 47–64 Romania’s societal transformation and labour struggles abroad – how missing income opportunities and the fear of dismissal inform practices of labour resistance Christian Sperneac-Wolfer Christian Sperneac-Wolfer 47–64
- 65–80 Digital transformation social spaces of Romanians and Moldovans in Berlin Mihaela-Violeta Vochin Mihaela-Violeta Vochin 65–80
- 81–94 Modern inequalities: a review of the literature Lyuboslav Kostov Lyuboslav Kostov 81–94
- 95–110 The effect of social security spending on economic growth in selected EU candidate countries Emin Ahmet Kaplan, Zeynep Hoş, Ilkay Güler Emin Ahmet Kaplan, Zeynep Hoş, Ilkay Güler 95–110
- 111–124 Sustainable regional development in Albania Anisa Balla, Flora Merko, Ela Golemi, Marta Biancardi Anisa Balla, Flora Merko, Ela Golemi, Marta Biancardi 111–124
- 125–126 About the Authors 125–126
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SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe , page 47 - 64

Romania’s societal transformation and labour struggles abroad – how missing income opportunities and the fear of dismissal inform practices of labour resistance

Autoren

Christian Sperneac-Wolfer

DOI
- doi.org/10.5771/1435-2869-2023-1-47
- ISSN: 1435-2869
- ISSN online: 2942-3384
Abstract

Romania's transformation from a socialist to a capitalist market society resulted in massive negative social and economic consequences which, ultimately, have become push factors for labour migration. However, little research has been done on the consequences of Romania's transformation for the work and labour struggles of migrant workers abroad. Empirically, the article shows how the intersection of the ‘making money’ motive, which is anchored in rural Romania, and the fear of job loss, which characterises the construction industry in Echsberg, shapes labour struggles. Fearing job loss, many do not engage in open labour disputes, but have developed a variety of strategies of covert resistance with which to counter exploitation. Accordingly, the article shows how the transformation in Romania shapes labour struggles at German construction sites. The findings not only highlight the need to include migrants and their work abroad in order to reach a comprehensive understanding of the effects of transformation but also provide starting points for combating labour exploitation.
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