Beyond informality: effectiveness of a new actor for representing call centre workers in Turkey

Tartanoglu S.

INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, vol.46, pp.381-397, 2015 (ESCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 46
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1111/irj.12108
  • Journal Name: INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, INSPEC, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.381-397
  • Bursa Uludag University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This article explores the organisational dynamics of the 'Association of Call Centre Workers' and aims to discover the effectiveness and sustainability of it as a new actor for representing the interests of call centre workers in Turkey. While traditional trade unions have fundamental problems such as efficacy and representation of various worker groups in changing workplaces, in the Turkish context, they have additional difficulties based on structural and legal constraints. Call centre workers seldom utilise the formal representation channels because of these and some other individual reasons such as a lack of information about their rights and labour movements. Moving from the importance of analysing the informal worker organisational dynamics in the case of a new trade union for call centre workers, the emphasis of the research is on the ability of the Association to develop a form of resistance and representation for the previously unrepresented.