Occupation as resistance: The case of worker sit-ins in the Irish Republic
Cullinane, Niall Dundon, Tony
Cullinane, Niall
Dundon, Tony
Loading...
Repository DOI
Publication Date
2010-06
Type
Conference Paper
Downloads
Citation
N. Cullinane and T. Dundon, 2010, Occupation as resistance: The case of worker sit-ins in the Irish Republic, paper presented to the International Industrial Relations Association Conference (IIRA), Copenhagen, 28 th - 30 th June.
Abstract
Replicating global trends, the Irish Republic has been mired in a deepening fiscal and economic crisis since 2008. At workplace level there has been a steady increase in cash-strapped firms forced to restructure and/or close operations. Consequently, a number of employers have imposed redundancy, often without negotiation, and based on minimum statutory entitlements. In reply, worker mobilization has increased in both a scale and form not seen in the Irish Republic for some decades. Specifically, small numbers of employees have responded through the deployment of direct action with sit-ins and mass occupations of company premises. This paper outlines the context, form and trajectory of worker occupations as a tactical response to organizational restructuring and financial crisis management using a case study of three Irish occupations in 2009. The analysis will examine the antecedent influences and factors surrounding the phenomenon of worker sit-ins as well as points of comparison and difference in respective cases. Finally, examining disputes where sit-ins have been deployed, the paper seeks to evaluate its capacity for securing workers' concerns in countering the threat of redundancy
Funder
Publisher
International Industrial Relations Association (IIRA)
Publisher DOI
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland