‘Ştiu eu pe cineva’. Self-organised mobility, labour intermediation and the two-fold exploitation of Romanian workers in the Austrian fresh food sector

Paul Sperneac-Wolfer

doi:10.5771/1435-2869-2023-2-209

Contents
- Chapter Expand | CollapseAuthorsPage
- 127–130 Titelei/Inhaltsverzeichnis 127–130
- 131–134 Editorial 131–134
- 135–140 Western Balkans Civil Society Forum Peter Scherrer Peter Scherrer 135–140
- 141–160 Evaluating gender equality in politics and the labour market: the case of Albania Ela Golemi, Anxhela Llaftiu Ela Golemi, Anxhela Llaftiu 141–160
- 161–176 Poverty and its measurement: the case of Albania Ardita Borici, Alba Kruja Ardita Borici, Alba Kruja 161–176
- 177–188 Aspects of political representation in Albania: is it time for fewer seats in parliament? Belina Bedini Belina Bedini 177–188
- 189–208 ‘Slaves’ without coercion? Work-related classification patterns among Romanian migrant workers Christian Sperneac-Wolfer, Andrei Botorog, Ferdinand Sutterlüty Christian Sperneac-Wolfer, Andrei Botorog, Ferdinand Sutterlüty 189–208
- 209–226 ‘Ştiu eu pe cineva’. Self-organised mobility, labour intermediation and the two-fold exploitation of Romanian workers in the Austrian fresh food sector Paul Sperneac-Wolfer Paul Sperneac-Wolfer 209–226
- 227–248 After Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz. Strikes and organic intellectuals in the German meat industry Daniela Ana, Ştefan Voicu Daniela Ana, Ştefan Voicu 227–248
- 249–262 Civic participation through the Office of the National Ombudsman in the protection of labour rights in Bulgaria Eleonora Ushatova-Kalinova Eleonora Ushatova-Kalinova 249–262
- 263–270 Discussing Attila Àgh: Awaking Europe in the triple global crisis. The birth pangs of the emerging Europe (2021) Christophe Solioz Christophe Solioz 263–270
- 271–272 About the Authors 271–272
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SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in Eastern Europe , page 209 - 226

‘Ştiu eu pe cineva’. Self-organised mobility, labour intermediation and the two-fold exploitation of Romanian workers in the Austrian fresh food sector

Autoren

Paul Sperneac-Wolfer

DOI
- doi.org/10.5771/1435-2869-2023-2-209
- ISSN: 1435-2869
- ISSN online: 2942-3384
Abstract

The workings of Romanian migration networks across western Europe are well documented. Yet, transnational relations have rarely been examined outside of these networks, namely in their potential for value extraction in broader accumulation processes. This article looks at the self-organised mobility of Romanian workers in relation to exploitation in highly segmented labour markets, and substantiates the view that, in the Austrian fresh food sector, it is that self-organised mobility that has become exploitable by Austrian growers. The article shows how growers capitalise particularly on labour intermediation to maintain the resilience and profitability of local agricultural businesses in the Austrian agricultural market. The resulting workplace regime ensnares workers in a two-fold exploitability: not only is their labour power subject to labour extraction but so are their interpersonal relations. This analysis implies the need to move beyond commonplace vocabularies of ‘social capital’ to grasp the persistent exploitation of migrant workers and their reproductive capacities across segmented labour markets.
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