Social dumping
Encyclopedia
"Social dumping" is a term (with a negative connotation) that is used to describe a temporary or transitory movement of labour
, whereby employers use workers from one country or area in another country or area where the cost of labour is usually more expensive, thus saving money and potentially increasing profit
.
It was also used as mass retrenchment tool or excuse to downsize by big factories during great depression in Europe. It generally led to either loss of employment or severe loss of pay to workers
There is a controversy around whether Social Dumping takes advantage of an EU directive on internal markets: the Bolkestein directive.
In the UK, circa February 2009, this is an issue that has become a political ‘hot potato’.
Workforce
The workforce is the labour pool in employment. It is generally used to describe those working for a single company or industry, but can also apply to a geographic region like a city, country, state, etc. The term generally excludes the employers or management, and implies those involved in...
, whereby employers use workers from one country or area in another country or area where the cost of labour is usually more expensive, thus saving money and potentially increasing profit
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
.
It was also used as mass retrenchment tool or excuse to downsize by big factories during great depression in Europe. It generally led to either loss of employment or severe loss of pay to workers
There is a controversy around whether Social Dumping takes advantage of an EU directive on internal markets: the Bolkestein directive.
In the UK, circa February 2009, this is an issue that has become a political ‘hot potato’.
External links
- European Union's Eurofound website: Social dumping
- Cabinet veterans challenge ministers to address 'social dumping' - The Guardian newspaper (UK) Tuesday 3 February 2009
- Social-dumping: a crisis in the UK Engineering Construction industry - AmicusAmicusAmicus was the United Kingdom's second-largest trade union, and the largest private sector union, formed by the merger of Manufacturing Science and Finance, the AEEU agreed in 2001, and two smaller unions, UNIFI and the GPMU...
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