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Precarious Workers and Work Organization: A Case Study from the Steel Industry of Taiwan

Sat, August 16, 4:30 to 5:30pm, TBA

Abstract

The use of precarious workers is widespread globally, and the associated literature is large and detailed. However, few attempts have been made to understand the relationship between precarious workers and the types of work organizations that use them most frequently. In this paper I argue that the use of precarious workers in Taiwan is associated with an organizational form known as cooperative subcontracting that is very common in the country’s manufacturing sector. Here I present data and an analysis of cooperative subcontracting as found in the China Steel Company, its construction processes, and the economic and social mechanisms that support it. My conclusion is that China Steel’s system, which makes widespread use of precarious workers, operates according to a flexible firm model that requires supportive social mechanisms in order to achieve optimum economic benefits. My observations also entail the presence of multiple social mechanisms whose purposes are tied to generating institutional trust and supporting social networks.

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