Working in the Context of Austerity

“A judicious combination of thematic pieces and case studies, this book sheds new light on key trends in work and employment, refracted through the wider lens of austerity. Essential reading for anyone with an interest in the contemporary workplace.” Paul Thompson, University of Stirling

“A superb collection analysing what happens when austerity hits. The lived experiences and consequences of privatisation, precariousness and wage suppression are highlighted amid possibilities of resistance and alternatives.” Stephen McBride, McMaster University

"This book offers a panoramic overview of a multi-level, grim struggle to apply one-size-fits nobody templates to organisations, tasks, and ultimately people... It is a highly informative and insightful collection that deserves a wide readership." Michael Keaney, British Journal of Industrial Relations

"Donna Baines and Ian Cunningham elucidate the changes that have occurred under austerity regimes." Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research

Donna Baines is Director and Professor of Social Work at the University of British Columbia.

Ian Cunningham is Head of Department and Professor of Human Resource Management at the University of Strathclyde.

PART I: Introduction

Understanding Austerity: Its Reach and Presence in the Changing Context of Work and Employment ~ Donna Baines and Ian Cunningham

PART II: Trends and Themes

The Age of Increased Precarious Employment: Origins and Implications ~ Wayne Lewchuk

Stepping Stone or Dead End? The Ambiguities of Platform-Mediated Domestic Work under Conditions of Austerity. Comparative Landscapes of Austerity and the Gig Economy: New York and Berlin ~ Niels van Doorn

Trends in Collective Bargaining, Wage Stagnation and Income Inequality under Austerity ~ Ian Cunningham and Philip James

Privatization, Hybridization and Resistance in Contemporary Care Work ~ Pat Armstrong and Donna Baines

PART III: Case Studies of Austerity in the Private, Public and Nonprofit Sectors

Non-Citizenship at Work: Labour Flexibility Behind the Counter in Western Canada ~ Geraldina Polanco

What We Talk About When We Talk About Austerity: Social Policy, Public Management and Politics of Eldercare Funding in Canada and China ~ Kendra Strauss and Feng Xu

Public Sector Reform and Work Restructuring for Firefighters in Scotland ~ Eva Jendro and Dora Scholarios

Austerity, Personalized Funding and the Degradation of Care Work: Comparing Scotland’s Self-Directed Support Policy and Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme ~ Donna Baines and Doug Young

The Rise of Managerialism in the US: Whither Worker Control? ~ Mimi Abramovitz and Jennifer Zelnick

Austerity and the Irish Non-Profit Voluntary and Community Sector ~ Pauric O’Rourke

PART IV: Alternatives and Resistance

‘The most striking progressive achievement in labor and employment policy’? The Scottish Living Wage in Social Care during Austerity ~ Alina M. Baluch

Legislation: A Double-Edged Sword in Union Resistance to Zero-Hours Work – The Case of Ireland ~ Juliette MacMahon, Lorraine Ryan, Michelle O’Sullivan, Jonathan Lavelle, Caroline Murphy, Mike O’Brien, Tom Turner and Patrick Gunnigle

Moral Projects and Compromise Resistance: Resisting Uncaring in Non-Profit Care Work ~ Donna Baines

Austerity, Resistance and the Labour Movement ~ Helen Blakely and Steve Davies

Afterword: Final Word and the Path Forward – Is the Myth of Austerity Giving Way to Myth of the Robots Taking the Jobs? ~ Jill Rubery