Khandakar, Shahadat and Uddin, Shahzad (2022) Labour Controls, Unfreedom and Perpetuation of Slavery on a Tea Plantation. Work, Employment and Society, 36 (3). pp. 522-538. DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211021567
Khandakar, Shahadat and Uddin, Shahzad (2022) Labour Controls, Unfreedom and Perpetuation of Slavery on a Tea Plantation. Work, Employment and Society, 36 (3). pp. 522-538. DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211021567
Khandakar, Shahadat and Uddin, Shahzad (2022) Labour Controls, Unfreedom and Perpetuation of Slavery on a Tea Plantation. Work, Employment and Society, 36 (3). pp. 522-538. DOI https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170211021567
Abstract
This article examines labour controls in traditional tea plantations in Bangladesh. This study finds how social and economic exclusion through discriminatory labour laws and labour–manager relations rooted in the ‘coolie’ system have built a captive workforce separated from the mainstream workforce. This ultimately produces and reproduces slavery-laden labour controls. An opaque but punitive incentive system, sunset-sunrise working hours, maximum engagement, and the restrictions of promotion to managerial posts are constant reminders of the historically rooted indentured labour system. This article contributes to understanding modern slavery in an organisational context and the obstacles that prevent ‘free’ labourers from walking away from exploitative conditions. Organisational sites such as tea plantations present clear examples of how specific types of labour control restrict freedom of choice and produce ‘willing slaves’.
Item Type: | Article |
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Uncontrolled Keywords: | Labour control, unfreedom, slavery, Bangladesh, tea plantation |
Divisions: | Faculty of Social Sciences Faculty of Social Sciences > Essex Business School |
SWORD Depositor: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Depositing User: | Unnamed user with email elements@essex.ac.uk |
Date Deposited: | 01 Sep 2021 12:10 |
Last Modified: | 16 May 2024 20:46 |
URI: | http://repository.essex.ac.uk/id/eprint/30276 |
Available files
Filename: 09500170211021567.pdf
Licence: Creative Commons: Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0