Labour migration: Seasonal workers' rights in the midst of structural injustices and vulnerability

Abstract

Over the past few decades, we could evidence how temporary (seasonal) labour migration programs gained new popularity among different states. Such programs became more restrictive and selective. The findings of this master thesis depict the persistent vulnerability which seasonal workers, in the midst of structural injustices, face in their everyday life. This is facilitated by the discriminatory policy of the states and the exploitative attitude of employers. Furthermore, temporary workers experience grove limitations or even abuses of their human rights all over the world. However, with the use of use of two case studies from the agriculture sector in Norway and Poland, the situation was illustrated and discussed in detail. The findings demonstrate the vulnerability of seasonal workers as great shortcomings of current seasonal immigration regimes that they tend to reproduce in vicious circles together with the private sector.