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Citations
... It is the organization of work and socio-economic factors that put these workers at higher risk of COVID-19 infection and create precarious employment situations (Weatherburn and Berntsen, 2021). First, information on health and safety measures related to COVID-19 has not (always) been communicated in languages workers speak or may not be communicated via channels that workers consult (Berntsen, 2022). Second, workers may feel unable to adhere to the COVID-19 related and general health and safety instructions because of employer-pressure: for instance, when workers refrain from calling in sick out of fear of dismissal, thus increasing the risk of COVID-19 transmission in the workplace. ...
Purpose
With a focus on the position of EU mobile workers in the Dutch meat industry, this article discusses the multi-level State efforts to enhance protection of workers who experienced limited protection of existing State and private enforcement institutions. The COVID-19 pandemic, with virus outbreaks at Dutch meat plants, fuelled public and political will to structurally improve these workers' precarious work and living conditions. Yet, the process of policy change is slow. The authors show it is the gradual transformation in the institutional environment that the State needs to counter to become more protective for EU mobile workers.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the gradual institutional change approach and the concept of State ignorance, the authors examine State responses drawing on interviews with expert stakeholders in the public and private domain, public administration records and newspaper articles.
Findings
Through knowledge creation, boosted social dialogue mechanisms, enhanced enforcement capacity and new housing legislation, the Dutch State focuses on countering gradual institutional change through which existing institutions lost their effectiveness as protectors of EU mobile workers. The organization of work is, nevertheless, not (yet) fundamentally addressed with tighter public legislation.
Originality/value
The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the role of the State as multifaceted actor in institutional change processes towards increased protection for EU mobile workers.
