Work

Sensemaking, Inequity and Agency in a Precarious Transnational Workspace: The Case of International Seafarers

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT International seafarers are highly trained and certificated workers but are subject to precaritising working conditions. This affects how they understand and respond to perceived inequities in relation to terms and conditions of employment. Drawing on qualitative interview data, this article examines how this group of workers make sense, rationalise and cope with precarious working conditions. In so doing, it: (i) highlights a range of inequities in seafarer terms and conditions of employment; (ii) examines how seafarers make sense of, and respond to, these inequities within a precaritising work context; and (iii) argues that seafarers adopt a pragmatic context‐sensitive approach that allows them to flex between different modes of understanding (i.e., framings) in a manner that is individualised, rational and preserves their sense of agency.

Source: Industrial Relations Journal

DOI: 10.1111/irj.70022

Authors: Nick Bailey, Nik Winchester

Institutions: Cardiff University, The Open University

Language: English

Topic: Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,900