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‘They make a business out of desperate people’: The role of recruitment agents in cross-border labour chains

Author

Listed:
  • Christina Stringer

    (Department of Management and International Business, University of Auckland Business School, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)

  • Ani Kartikasari

    (Department of Global Value Chains and Trade, Faculty of Agribusiness and Commerce, Lincoln University, Lincoln, New Zealand)

  • Snejina Michailova

    (Department of Management and International Business, University of Auckland Business School, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand)

Abstract

This article examines the role recruitment agents play in the complex web of forced labour. Our focus is the abusive treatment of Indonesian crew onboard South Korean factory trawlers fishing in New Zealand’s waters. We gathered data from multiple sources: (1) documents, including Indonesia’s national legislation and migrants’ employment contracts; (2) 27 interviews with Indonesian crew; and (3) translation work for New Zealand government ministries, court cases, and film productions. We analyse how recruitment agents are implicated, as seen through the crew’s eyes, in three phases – before departure, onboard the vessels, and following their return home. JEL Classification: J81, F55, F66

Suggested Citation

  • Christina Stringer & Ani Kartikasari & Snejina Michailova, 2021. "‘They make a business out of desperate people’: The role of recruitment agents in cross-border labour chains," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 46(4), pages 672-689, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ausman:v:46:y:2021:i:4:p:672-689
    DOI: 10.1177/0312896220986895
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. repec:sae:mrxval:v:54:y:2020:i:4:p:992-1015 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. Martin, Philip, 2017. "Merchants of Labor: Recruiters and International Labor Migration," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198808022.
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    4. Andrew Crane & Genevieve LeBaron & Jean Allain & Laya Behbahani, 2019. "Governance gaps in eradicating forced labor: From global to domestic supply chains," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(1), pages 86-106, March.
    5. Anne Posthuma & Arianna Rossi, 2017. "Coordinated governance in global value chains: supranational dynamics and the role of the International Labour Organization," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(2), pages 186-202, March.
    6. Andy Cumbers & Corinne Nativel & Paul Routledge, 2008. "Labour agency and union positionalities in global production networks," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(3), pages 369-387, May.
    7. Stephanie Ware Barrientos, 2013. "'Labour Chains': Analysing the Role of Labour Contractors in Global Production Networks," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1058-1071, August.
    8. Stephanie BARRIENTOS & Frederick MAYER & John PICKLES & Anne POSTHUMA, 2011. "Decent work in global production networks: Framing the policy debate," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 150(3-4), pages 297-317, December.
    9. Christina Stringer & Glenn Simmons & Daren Coulston & D. Hugh Whittaker, 2014. "Not in New Zealand’s waters, surely? Linking labour issues to GPNs," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 14(4), pages 739-758.
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • F55 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Institutional Arrangements
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor

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