I am interested in understanding social transformation processes in relation to economic inequality through the lense of labour and migration. What interests me most are the sites of struggles and negotiations around labour mobility, migrants' rights and access to social participation.
International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 2019
The Free Movement of Persons Agreement has fostered the emergence of a new market for live-in car... more The Free Movement of Persons Agreement has fostered the emergence of a new market for live-in care in Switzerland. Private care agencies recruit women from the European Union (EU) accession states and place them as live-in carers for the elderly in private households. This paper focusses on how these agencies organise these live-in care arrangements. Drawing on concepts of the politics of mobility, I analyse the production of (im)mo-bilities through the placement and recruitment practices of care agencies and the power relations that underlie live-in care arrangements. The findings show that live-in care is constituted both by mobilities, exemplified by care workers' circular movements and need to be highly mobile, and by care workers' immobilities once they start working in a household. The care workers' mobility is in turn enabled by the agencies' placement practices and by infrastructures specialised in their movements, which serve as moorings.
This article focuses on live-in elder care workers in German-speaking Switzerland, with a focus o... more This article focuses on live-in elder care workers in German-speaking Switzerland, with a focus on the city of Basel. Working with the Lefebvrian concept of le droit à la ville, it critically investigates the extent to which circularly migrating women can negotiate their right to the city when working as private 24-hour carers in Basel. It first discusses how the Swiss migration and labor regimes in this gendered field of work affect their rights, access, belonging, and participation in the city. The article then analyzes two examples of how live-in care workers challenge existing regulations individually and collectively, and instigate changes at the level of the city. Exploring the idea of participation beyond formal recognition such as residency and citizenship, the paper critically reflects on the right-to-the-city debate's key concept of inhabitance. Focusing on women who – as circular migrants – only reside in Switzerland for a few weeks at a time and who – as live-in workers – are often isolated in private households, the paper argues that work arrangements and mobility are key to understanding inhabitants' right to the city.
Report about Marriage and Migration in Switzerland. Schweizerische Beobachtungsstelle für Asyl- u... more Report about Marriage and Migration in Switzerland. Schweizerische Beobachtungsstelle für Asyl- und Ausländerrecht
Although agricultural labour productivity has been increasing due to technical progress, agricult... more Although agricultural labour productivity has been increasing due to technical progress, agricultural holdings continue to be under price pressure. We argue that we need to critically engage with Swiss production condi- tions from the workers› perspectives. This paper focuses on the working conditions of non-family farm workers and their future prospects. In relating the changing production conditions to the idea of domestic fair trade, we investigate existing initiatives› potential to create better working conditions. We draw on interviews with migrant workers, farmers, and different representatives of agricultural labour in Switzerland. The results show that non- family labour is physically strenuous work with flexible working hours, low wage payment, and little recognition. While introducing a domestic fair trade label is a step in the right direction, it still only improves the working conditions for a fraction of all non-family workers. Therefore, it cannot be a substitute for stronger unions and government regulations.
International Journal of Ageing and Later Life, 2019
The Free Movement of Persons Agreement has fostered the emergence of a new market for live-in car... more The Free Movement of Persons Agreement has fostered the emergence of a new market for live-in care in Switzerland. Private care agencies recruit women from the European Union (EU) accession states and place them as live-in carers for the elderly in private households. This paper focusses on how these agencies organise these live-in care arrangements. Drawing on concepts of the politics of mobility, I analyse the production of (im)mo-bilities through the placement and recruitment practices of care agencies and the power relations that underlie live-in care arrangements. The findings show that live-in care is constituted both by mobilities, exemplified by care workers' circular movements and need to be highly mobile, and by care workers' immobilities once they start working in a household. The care workers' mobility is in turn enabled by the agencies' placement practices and by infrastructures specialised in their movements, which serve as moorings.
This article focuses on live-in elder care workers in German-speaking Switzerland, with a focus o... more This article focuses on live-in elder care workers in German-speaking Switzerland, with a focus on the city of Basel. Working with the Lefebvrian concept of le droit à la ville, it critically investigates the extent to which circularly migrating women can negotiate their right to the city when working as private 24-hour carers in Basel. It first discusses how the Swiss migration and labor regimes in this gendered field of work affect their rights, access, belonging, and participation in the city. The article then analyzes two examples of how live-in care workers challenge existing regulations individually and collectively, and instigate changes at the level of the city. Exploring the idea of participation beyond formal recognition such as residency and citizenship, the paper critically reflects on the right-to-the-city debate's key concept of inhabitance. Focusing on women who – as circular migrants – only reside in Switzerland for a few weeks at a time and who – as live-in workers – are often isolated in private households, the paper argues that work arrangements and mobility are key to understanding inhabitants' right to the city.
Report about Marriage and Migration in Switzerland. Schweizerische Beobachtungsstelle für Asyl- u... more Report about Marriage and Migration in Switzerland. Schweizerische Beobachtungsstelle für Asyl- und Ausländerrecht
Although agricultural labour productivity has been increasing due to technical progress, agricult... more Although agricultural labour productivity has been increasing due to technical progress, agricultural holdings continue to be under price pressure. We argue that we need to critically engage with Swiss production condi- tions from the workers› perspectives. This paper focuses on the working conditions of non-family farm workers and their future prospects. In relating the changing production conditions to the idea of domestic fair trade, we investigate existing initiatives› potential to create better working conditions. We draw on interviews with migrant workers, farmers, and different representatives of agricultural labour in Switzerland. The results show that non- family labour is physically strenuous work with flexible working hours, low wage payment, and little recognition. While introducing a domestic fair trade label is a step in the right direction, it still only improves the working conditions for a fraction of all non-family workers. Therefore, it cannot be a substitute for stronger unions and government regulations.
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Papers by Huey Shy Chau