Post-Pandemic Possibilities for Workplace Change

As a result of COVID-19, neo-liberal governments in different parts of the world, which were ideologically committed to austerity and wholesale cuts in employee protections were faced with a predicament. In many countries lockdowns were being implemented with workers instructed to work from home where possible and with those who worked in sectors which had been closed being compensated for lost earnings.

In their haste to reverse these trends governments have successively declared an end to the special working arrangements. Across the globe, national social protection laws have been systematically withdrawn, in particular at the initiative of authoritarian and xenophobic governments. Restrictions on trade union action have reduced bargaining capacity and multinational companies have advanced in weakening the responsiveness of workers.

The post-COVID era has seen some employers (as well as employees) embrace the changes in working arrangements and it has seen workers become more aware of their rights to protection from risks to health and safety. Given the different responses of states, employers, trade unions and individual workers, we have an opportunity to undertake a comparative analysis of what this experience means for the future organization of work, for workers and for resistance.

In this session, proposals are invited to present research that has identified workplace change, worker resistance and arenas of political contestation on the most varied scales (global, national and local). Through the consideration of such work, we hope to consider the possibilities for building new resources to empower workers and their representative bodies.