Thinking global-historically: reacting local-temporally Unpacking current struggles for control of the labour process in the welfare sector Simon Emsley Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre Prepared for `Riding through a time of welfare cut backs Australian and New Zealand Social Work and Welfare association for Education and Research, 25-26 Sept 2014
Summary Rapid intensification of work for the poorest and least powerful is underway Visualising welfare work as a form of production a labour process Economic and organisational pressures transforming the labour process Labour process in settlement sector casestudy role of organisation and narrative
Riding through a time of welfare cutbacks How can we keep going?
The labour process in `welfare Welfare worker believe they are doing good, serving community, etc. Welfare workers may have a subordinate position in the command structure and have a low economic position Some welfare work is semi-automated and unskilled call centre technology Appear to have autonomy, closely aligned with client interests social justice dividend
The need for control Need to control costs and target distribution of services and benefits (the `tough love discourse) Direct control of workers through electronic monitoring cutting people from dole Function to rationing resources at margins The power to change the regime of delivery (training and reorienting to new practice)
Breakdown in relations of production
Potential rupture of belief system The grounds for the required end of entitlement: declining tax base and ageing population Welfare to work agenda need to minimise welfare expenditure and increase workforce participation http://www.aph.gov.au/about_parliament/parliamentary_departments/parliamentary_libra ry/pubs/briefingbook43p/welfaretowork
I wish to thank my friends at the Institute of Economic Affairs for the opportunity to discuss an issue that has been the source of much debate in this forum for sometime.that is, the end of an era of popular universal entitlement. (Joe Hockey, 2012) FMRC Sept Ag 2014
Australian governments have long recognised the need to increase workforce participation to support economic growth, increase social participation and reduce welfare expenditure. Since the mid 1980s Australia has, along with most other OECD countries, been progressively introducing active labour market policies. These policies seek to closely integrate labour market programs and income support policies. `Welfare to Work: a reform agenda in progress,
Percentage working age (16-64) receiving income support 1996-2013
Budget s impact on families: impact on households at 2017/18 1/2
Budget s impact on families: impact on households at 2017/18 2/2
Other important changes Removal of access to unemployment benefits for under 30s. (over 110,000 affected) Removal of supported pathways to education and training Consolidation of welfare providers to limited market of large corporate players (coded as emergence of self-determining `civil society by DSS Minister Kevin Andrews)
Humanitarian entrants will be among the hardest hit Understanding Migrant Outcomes: Census Data Enhancement Project ABS 3417.0 integrates Immigration records and census data to allow comparison of humanitarian entrants with other groups
Employment Thinking Understanding globally: migrant reacting outcomes: locally Emsley- ABS 3417.0 -FMRC summary Sept Emsley-FMRC 2014
Income by visa stream Understanding migrant outcomes: ABS 3417.0 - summary Emsley-FMRC
One parent households/migration stream Skilled Family Humanitarian Total One parent households 34,013 33,121 29,704 96,838 Total 703,017 408,785 135,070 1,246,873 Understanding migrant outcomes: ABS 3417.0 - summary Emsley-FMRC
Additional financial strain borne by humanitarian entrants Refugee and humanitarian entrants have additional financial burdens Huge volume of remittances to homelands by migrants ($4.5b) (Aust. Foreign aid $5.7b) Carry costs of supporting asylum seeker populations, sponsoring humanitarian and family entrants Lower survival skill levels (bargain hunting, avoiding scams, etc). Mental health burden Establishment costs
Settlement service case study Special conditions of sector labour process Settlement workers work with very high needs groups Many are representatives of those groups Highly aligned interests and loyalties Not fully/evenly acculturated - diverse
Additional reporting required of each worker: Biannual summary report (2 pages written) internal Annual project report (2 pages) internal Quarterly written report to funding provider against project objectives ½ day Contract manager interviews 30 mins to funding provider
Industrial organisation of settlement workers Sustained defilement of humanitarian migrants close identification with refugees Aware of the tenuous nature of settlement services (political volatility of discourse) Unemployment in humanitarian entrant cohort very high low staff turnover Highly resilient with acute awareness of repressive technologies
Service led a campaign against income management
Equal pay campaign won pay rises of between 20-40% over 8 years. Management marched with workers.
High level of unionisation At mid 2012 campaign industrial confidence in the service was very high. Membership continued to grow to 100% membership currently.
Organisational renewal since mid 2012 Retirement of long-standing CEO Series of changes in composition of board Movement towards Company Ltd structure and preparation for Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission Adoption of `social enterprise and Big Society language: positioning as major regional corporate player
Transfer of big society Philip Blond, UK social theorist for `Big Society changes met with Coalition front bench, Treasury officials, PM and Malcolm Turnbull 2012 (Barnsley, Australian Services Union, 2014)
Big society UK outcomes 710,000 public sector jobs cut 70,000 jobs cut in charitable sector Local govt. budgets cut by 25% New public housing budget cut 60% Volunteerism and philanthropy decreased (Barnsley, Australian Services Union, 2014)
Shift in labour control 1/3 Revision of policy and procedures Establishment of HR position Commission of audit driven consolidation of welfare services in DSS, aiming to shift governance to limited field of corporate NGOs Centralised management structure recently announced Restructure announced recently
Shift in labour control 2/3 17 security cameras installed public areas Sign on/off book An advocacy position, a divisional manager and two board members associated with the Equal Pay and other activism of the centre to 2012 are no longer associated with the service. Union representatives have been refused entry to the site on grounds that formal notice as prescribed in Fair Work Act not provided Wages at the service have been frozen for over two years.
Shift in labour control 3/3 DSS contracts to be awarded January 2015 Uncertainty of employment tenure increased competition between workers for limited positions `Welfare dependency terminology encouraged Increase use of volunteers Preparations for work for dole cohort
Response to federal budget 1. Lunchtime info meeting workers attended in own time 2. Unions NSW `bust the budget meeting union mandated, one delegate attended 3. Convenor Fairfield Youth Network press release re. youth crime and budget on extended leave to Afghanistan 4. Street youth worker meets MP re. criminal gang recruitment (Questscope) approved activity
Response to federal budget 5. Fairfield Multicultural Forum, service manager provides representations. Approved activity 6. Service presents on budget and gag clause to interagency. Approved activity 7. Riding through welfare cuts presentation. Approved 8. Combined union delegates Jobs, services, rights forum two union delegates attended
Response to federal budget 9. Presentation on food security and sub-labor market in Sydney South West approved 10. Submission to Industry Skills Fund - approved
Response to demand for services from asylum seekers Background: Migrant Resource Centres prevented from advocating for overseas students issues in 2007-8 No-advantage test creates 30,000 asylum seekers without work rights in community. MRCs instructed not to provide service or support. This is a fundamental change in service culture which is very confronting for service workers.
Response to demand for services from asylum seekers 1. Asylum seeker referrals for emergency relief accepted approved but no formal policy 2. Needs analysis interviews with AS groups - unionists conducted interview out of work 3. Submission to Immigration re needs - written and submitted out of work 4. Service rep on asylum seeker working group approved 5. Support for asylum seekers in community most caseworkers involved
Response to demand for services from asylum seekers 6. Range of work outside work hours - street meetings, Refugee Welcome Zone council resolution, small emerging community work 7. TAFE and MTC classes accept asylum seeker attendance approved 8. Volunteer immigration agent (ex-employee) providing free advice - approved
Conclusion Workers interests have proved to be a resilient factor shaping change in this case Industrial organisation has provided spaces for alternative views and narratives Struggle for control of the labour process at the level of the workplace is significant This may be supported by narratives and theory coordinating action such as Wright
For further information Dr Simon Emsley Fairfield Migrant Resource Centre Ph. 02 9727 0477 Email: cdac@fmrc.net