The Governance of European Labor Mobility: The Case of Low-Wage Migrant Work in Germany after 2020

Abstract

Since the COVID-scandals in German abattoirs, employment and working conditions of migrant workers have been the subject of intense debate. Applying a Polanyian framework of social embeddedness, the question is posed whether the working conditions of migrant seasonal, posted, or subcontracting workers have improved after 2020 and whether a process of social (re)embedding can be observed. Data, reports, and documentations of the responsible authorities and leading trade unions in this field as well as plenary documents and protocols of the German Bundestag are analyzed. Once one moves away from the narrow focus on the meat producing sectors, it becomes apparent that overall progress has been made after 2020, but that these improvements are still quite singular and low-key. The legal steps to improve the working conditions of migrant workers in the low-wage sector and control their enforcement are extremely arduous with only very limited effects given the incremental approach on the one hand and employers' strategy to shift between the different labor law options depending on the legal situation on the other hand.