TY - JOUR
T1 - Men on the sidelines
T2 - the reconciliation of work and family life agenda in the context of cross-border posting
AU - Currie, Samantha
N1 - Funding Information:
The article begins by introducing the EU’s legal framework on posting and highlighting its particular relevance to the construction industry. It then moves to the reconciliation of work and family life agenda and considers aspects of the posting experience that demonstrate the difficulties posed to the fulfilment of family life, and the remoteness of EU law and policy on reconciliation, from the reality of many workers’ lived experiences. This examination will address the issues of: pay and associated financial entitlements; accommodation and family unity; and, flexibility of working conditions and leave. The article is informed by a socio-legal research project (funded by the Nuffield Foundation) which examined posting in the construction sector.3 This study included semi-structured interviews with trade unions and employers and mapped the evolving legal framework on posting. This project did not set out to explicitly consider the family experience of posted workers but it became apparent during the course of the research that the family lives of posted workers are overlooked. The antipathy towards upholding family rights of workers posted from one Member State to another is evident in the law, the literature and in the discourse and outputs of actors involved in the process.
PY - 2013/9
Y1 - 2013/9
N2 - The European Commission estimates that one million workers are posted in the EU each year. Such workers are sent abroad temporarily as part of a cross-border provision of services by their employer. The male-dominated construction sector accounts for a significant proportion (25%) of the posting that takes place in the EU. Taking the construction industry as an example, this paper examines the difficulties experienced by posted workers seeking to enforce employment related rights, for example as regards to pay and to maintain family connections across borders. This focused analysis serves as a case study for articulation of a broader argument relating to the inaccessibility of EU policies on reconciling work and family life to many male workers. In drawing out the dichotomy between the emphasis on policies to assist with the reconciliation of work and family life (usually directed at women), and the inability of the (predominantly male) workers under consideration to achieve any meaningful experience of family life during the posting experience, the paper aims to highlight how the EU reconciliation agenda continues to primarily target women as its 'beneficiaries'. The antipathy of reconciliation law and policy towards men seriously undermines the effectiveness of the measures for both men and women alike.
AB - The European Commission estimates that one million workers are posted in the EU each year. Such workers are sent abroad temporarily as part of a cross-border provision of services by their employer. The male-dominated construction sector accounts for a significant proportion (25%) of the posting that takes place in the EU. Taking the construction industry as an example, this paper examines the difficulties experienced by posted workers seeking to enforce employment related rights, for example as regards to pay and to maintain family connections across borders. This focused analysis serves as a case study for articulation of a broader argument relating to the inaccessibility of EU policies on reconciling work and family life to many male workers. In drawing out the dichotomy between the emphasis on policies to assist with the reconciliation of work and family life (usually directed at women), and the inability of the (predominantly male) workers under consideration to achieve any meaningful experience of family life during the posting experience, the paper aims to highlight how the EU reconciliation agenda continues to primarily target women as its 'beneficiaries'. The antipathy of reconciliation law and policy towards men seriously undermines the effectiveness of the measures for both men and women alike.
KW - construction workers
KW - Cross-border posting of workers in the European Union
KW - gender equality
KW - reconciliation of work and family life
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84883655032&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/09649069.2013.822173
DO - 10.1080/09649069.2013.822173
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84883655032
SN - 0964-9069
VL - 35
SP - 389
EP - 408
JO - Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
JF - Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law
IS - 3
ER -
