Khatleli, N (2015) The impact of nativist exclusion on the migrant labourers in the South African construction industry. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK.
Abstract
South African society has been beset by an endemic problem of xenophobia since its liberation from apartheid in 1994. During apartheid citizens were over-sensitized about their identities through particularistic political prescription of race and ethnic identities. Black South African were oxymoronically referred to as 'foreign natives', as they were technically from the Bantustans and not bona fide citizens of the country. When racial segregation was dismantled, only those who could demonstrate a family connection with the colonial/apartheid formation of South African could claim citizenship at liberation. The rest and the deluge of immigrants that followed were regarded as opportunistic claimants to hard fought gains of emancipation. The popular prescriptions founded on indigeneity bolstered the hegemony of xenophobic discourse which reached its zenith during the pogrom of 2008. Although there has never been a repeat of a widespread physical torment of these migrants till recently in March/April 2015, there is a general disquiet among foreigners that the nativist exclusion is bordering on the compromise of the extension of basic humans rights. The majority of these migrants find their way into construction sector of the economy. In this climate of non-abating ethnical tensions, the research is investigating the treatment of foreign construction workers on site. Five case studies which were upwards of $40 million each were used in Johannesburg where interviews were conducted with foreign workers, construction managers and few local workers as well, for perspective. It was found that job commitment, tenacity, determination and generally better conditions and pay, compared to home countries which have no credible alternatives results in increased loyalty to the employers. Although all the foreigners were regarded to be disciplined productive workforce, their perception of acceptance differed by their country of origin.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | recruitment; xenophobia; foreign workers; indigeneity |
| Index terms: | recruitment, construction worker, construction sector, construction industry, identity, construction manager, foreign worker, prescription, immigrant, commitment, case study, society, interview, Johannesburg |
| Subjects: | demography, sociology, communities and social development, industry analysis, management, medical science and clinical practice, Geography, psychology, data collection methods, profession, business, practitioner |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Organizational Design, International Construction, Human Resources, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here