Casualisation of labor and worker exploitation in modern economies

Business Issues and Problems

Combating the extent of casualisation in the labor and the exploitation of the labor force

In the present dynamics of the world business and economy, there are quite a few problems that need to be addressed and highlighted. It is true that the overall world is in a phase of recession and slums are being seen in various parts of the world. However, it is necessary to realize what impact this is having on human lives, society and the labor force because they are probably the first ones to be affected by this condition and may be the ones most deeply affected (Michie, 1997).

This phenomenon now exists not only in the third world and developing nations but also in many Western developed nations which continue to counter the cuts in the public spending and take actions to encourage people to spend so as to bring the economy back where it used to be. It might seem a simple thing to look at and the fact that people have started spending lesser amounts may not seem too much of a problem but the fact is that this is the root to a lot of other causes and problems which prove to be extremely harsh for the society, economy, individuals and the country as a whole.

With the ever rising rate of unemployment, there is a need to cut down the costs so that the consumers may consider buying the products if they are offered at lower rates. To fulfill this requirement, the labor wages are usually cut down and their working conditions are compromised on in order to pass on to minimize the costs coming in. The labor might have temporary contracts and their level of job security might be lost and they are well prepared to lose their job any minute that the economy goes in to further recession and the companies and factories need to close down or make certain workers redundant because they can't afford to pay them. They may even be asked to switch to the more informal and manual sectors rather than their usual job that they have experience with. The casualisation of labor then becomes a growing concern for the overall labor force and the protection of their jobs.

What is meant by the "casualisation of jobs"?

The basic meaning of the casualisation of jobs is whereby the prevailing conditions in the work environment become increasingly worsened. This encompasses the poor salaries and wages, no job security, working extra hours, no employment benefits, irregularity in the work hours, no form of proper lighting and work environment. In Australia, this is referred to as a point in time where more and more workers join this casual form of work because they have nowhere else to turn to.

How does this impact the workers?

Workers that belong to the informal sector basically have no access to the trade unions and they are not offered the membership of such organizations in order to safeguard their rights and their job. They cannot exercise any form of control or freedom, nor can they show power in the form of collective bargaining, shut outs, etc. And have no one to voice their opinions for them. This is especially true in the case of the workers in agro-based economies, hospitals or in other manual work.

While it is an obligation and a moral responsibility of the business organization to give its employees their due rights and the basic human rights, there is little that they can do or exercise in case of a recession when they lack the resources to take care of these issues (Heery, 2000). The government does try to play a role in this scenario and do as much for the workers as it can but under such circumstances, all that is needed is to increase the spending of the people in the economy and for that, some aspects are obviously compromised.

Areas being affected by the casualisation of jobs

Basic human rights involve worker rights

The most important aspect to consider in this casualisation process is the fact that the basic human rights of the workers are neglected. It is important to understand that the two are interlinked. Despite the recessionary phase, it is the duty of the companies not to exploit their workers and give them a condition that is suitable to work in and these needs are to be prioritized by all the firms. Any just and fair model of globalization states that it is the right of all the workers to be given what they are promised and their expertise should not be exploited. Just like poverty proves to be a problem to the well being and prosperity of any country, the exploitation of the fundamental human rights also threatens the morality and well being of the country and this violation of workers is one of the very basic examples of this situation.

The government as well as the companies themselves need to list down agendas and the basic guidelines to counter this issue even in their recessionary phases because this casualisation has long lasting and damaging effects. The exploitation also brings down the overall quality of the products. The costs may be lowered but that would be of little help since the quality goes down with it.

It is the duty of the government to pass laws that would ensure that the companies keep doing so and do not misuse their workers. They can heavily fine and take legal action against the firms that keep doing so. This would act as a check up to ensure that the moral grounds are kept intact and this casualisation is kept to the minimum and eventually eliminated. The violation and violence against the workers should be controlled and this should be made one of the basic agendas of the government in the economic and business sector.

Child Labor

Another growing problem amidst this recession phase is that of child labor and under age working which can be counted as part of casualisation. The age, at which the children of the nation should be gaining their basic education and pursuing their careers to develop the skills in the field they want to be a part of later in life, they are working to earn a living and supporting their families because the earning of one family member is not enough. Another reason why these young children are employed is because they are usually cheaper to hire and are not too demanding when it comes to wage rates. They are also energetic and healthy which makes them a good source of work. This is an extreme form of exploitation and is very common in certain countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and African countries. The seriousness of this issue is seldom realized or taken action against (Cigno, 2005).

The rights of the youth of a nation is a very integral part because they are the future of the country and in the current light of the recession, this is being neglected to a very high level. The exploitation of this sector of the country leads to the problems in future because the future generations do not receive education, nor do they receive a proper socialization because they are subjected to hardships at a very young age which kills all forms of future prospects that they might have been able to achieve, had they undergone proper education. This gives rise to a lot of social problems that exist in the society as well which come to light later on.

Quality of the public services

To give the society and the people of the country, a well sustained and developed nation to live in, the first and most integral thing to keep in mind and take care of is the provision of the human rights and their well being which is highly threatened by the casualisation of jobs. This sad phenomenon brought about by the business and economic workings in the world today greatly damages the well being of humans and makes it difficult for them to function in the world and live freely knowing that they will be protected.

Although this is greatly condemned and governments do take action against this, there is little that is actually achieved as yet. The trend of this practice is slowly making its way to other countries and is damaging the future as well as the present of many out there. The recessionary phase destroys the society in a different way but the reality is that these practices exist even in the period of a boom and is to a certain extent unavoidable. Some of this is not even accounted for and some countries are known for these practices and the others take action to ban their products and having any trade dealings with them for the sole reason that they will continue exploiting their man power and labor resources to provide low priced products but they are of no use until the people using them are treated correctly.

This phenomenon was also brought about to a certain extent by the growing trend of privatization of many organizations and businesses by the government. This causes the motives to shift from welfare and provision of the basic rights of the people to profit motives and economic gains. To acquire the maximum profit, the companies obviously want to minimize the costs of production which is where this phenomenon comes in.

Conclusion

To draw upon the practice and to determine the impacts of this practice is quite important and with the growing existence of this phenomenon, it is essential to be aware of its causes, its impacts and how this can be dealt with.

The concept of the casualisation of jobs has already been above along with the impacts of the practice and how far these consequences might go. The important aspect that is now to be considered is what steps and measures need to be taken in order to minimize and gradually eliminate this practice and reestablish the morals and norms which emphasize the need to take care of the human rights and their working space which is a means of their living.

It is true that people work to gain a living out of it and to sustain them but this is a basic necessity of our survival. Hence, this needs to be taken care of and to do that; the governments of all nations need to take strict action against those who exercise these actions. There should be severe sanctions, heavy fines and legal actions taken against those who do not abide by the laws passed by the governments. The companies should take a note of this and include these regulations and rights in the contract that they sign with the employees they hire.

On an ending note, this is an increasing reality and this casualisation greatly undermines the hard work of people and takes advantage of their need to earn money and to lead a healthy life.