Periodic Reporting for period 1 - RightsLab (Towards Transnational Labour Rights? Temporary Work Agencies and Third Country National Workers in the EU.)
Reporting period: 2021-01-11 to 2024-01-10
The aim of the RightsLab Action was to advance the protection of agency workers’ transnational labour and social rights in the light of the continuous supply of just-in-time workforce via temporary work agencies in both in core EU member states, and in Central and Eastern Europe. RightsLab was to explore the labour and employment conditions of Ukrainian transnational workers employed through work agencies and asked: how can we develop mechanisms of effective transnational labour rights for agency workers? To answer these questions, RightsLab set out to a) critically investigate the mechanisms and practices of transnational recruitment and employment chains involving temporary work agencies; b) to understand the pros and cons of such employment mechanisms for workers and the role each actor plays in such chains including the larger socio-economic picture; c) to evaluate the main risks/labour rights violations in such types of employment; c) to explore the possibilities for creating better mechanisms for cross-border labour rights protections and proposing empirically grounded interventions. To reach these scientific and social objectives Action was designed to help me learn new skills, develop lasting networks and new methodologies and ways of communication around these questions by advancing my scholarly career and expertise in documentary filmmaking.
The course and content of RightsLab Action in 2022-23 has been severely affected by the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The structure, focus and circumstances of my research had to be adjusted to the new situation, and my personal capacity, as a scholar of Ukrainian origin, to carry out further activities meaningfully. February 2022 has greatly changed the numbers, ways of mobility, and demographic characteristics of those Ukrainians who moved, as well as the EU and national responses to integration, management of mobility and inclusion of these people. Temporary protection status, given to Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war as a group-belonging status, allowed them to join labour markets and plan longer term settlement. It has also in many ways altered the situation of those Ukrainian labour migrants, who have been present in the EU before 2022, especially (but not exclusively) the situation of male seasonal and temporary workers. In the light of these changes, RightsLab had to adjust its focus and objectives, in order to build on the strength of its original plan and turn it to use in the changing situation towards 2 main related research questions: a) the role of the “old” labour migration network in the reception effort of the displaced Ukrainian citizens; 2) situation on the labour market, in relation to new arrivals but also larger impact of full-scale war in Ukraine on mobility (e.g. the stop to mobility of men, return of men, arrival of women with dependents). Significantly, the RightsLab focus, methods, engagement with public, and networks had to be re-thought in order to continue the principle of active public engagement with the researched issues.
The course and content of RightsLab Action in 2022-23 has been severely affected by the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The structure, focus and circumstances of my research had to be adjusted to the new situation, and my personal capacity, as a scholar of Ukrainian origin, to carry out further activities meaningfully. February 2022 has greatly changed the numbers, ways of mobility, and demographic characteristics of those Ukrainians who moved, as well as the EU and national responses to integration, management of mobility and inclusion of these people. Temporary protection status, given to Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war as a group-belonging status, allowed them to join labour markets and plan longer term settlement. It has also in many ways altered the situation of those Ukrainian labour migrants, who have been present in the EU before 2022, especially (but not exclusively) the situation of male seasonal and temporary workers. In the light of these changes, RightsLab had to adjust its focus and objectives, in order to build on the strength of its original plan and turn it to use in the changing situation towards 2 main related research questions: a) the role of the “old” labour migration network in the reception effort of the displaced Ukrainian citizens; 2) situation on the labour market, in relation to new arrivals but also larger impact of full-scale war in Ukraine on mobility (e.g. the stop to mobility of men, return of men, arrival of women with dependents). Significantly, the RightsLab focus, methods, engagement with public, and networks had to be re-thought in order to continue the principle of active public engagement with the researched issues.
Following the original 6 work packages (WPs) and adjusting RightsLab activities to the shift in accessibility, research questions and the need for changing methodology, the Action was roughly dedicated to the following activities by years:
2021: 1) desk research and mapping out of the research field; 2) trainings; 3) action research and activation of the field research participants and partners; 4) impact and public reach out (raising awareness of the problems identified in the research, teaching, informing public); 5) filming
2022: 1) solidarity work and mapping of the changing research goals, methods and forms: 2) trainings and career development (including applications and various collaborations); 3) action research and activation of new research and solidarity networks; 4) impact and public reach out (public talks, workshops, teaching, conference participation); 5) film Funeralzzi (filming, teaching of visual methods, workshops,( artistic and academic collaboration with the network “Death in contact-less societies”).
2023: 1) continuation of the research, writing up and publications, 2) secondment (dissemination and exploitation activities, building up new networks, teaching); 3) trainings and career development (including applications and various collaborations); 4) impact and public reach out (public talks, workshops, teaching, conference participation); 5) closing conference event for the RightsLab Action; 6) film Funeralzzi, training and career advancement through participation in film festivals and industry events, engagement through documentary film-making.
During the action I have took part in organizing 12 conferences and workshops, attended 10 formal training courses, presented my work in 19 conferences and workshops, participated with my work in 9 documentary film festivals and taught 34 seminars and workshops. 4 publications have been published up to date in and 5 are accepted for print (2024-25).
2021: 1) desk research and mapping out of the research field; 2) trainings; 3) action research and activation of the field research participants and partners; 4) impact and public reach out (raising awareness of the problems identified in the research, teaching, informing public); 5) filming
2022: 1) solidarity work and mapping of the changing research goals, methods and forms: 2) trainings and career development (including applications and various collaborations); 3) action research and activation of new research and solidarity networks; 4) impact and public reach out (public talks, workshops, teaching, conference participation); 5) film Funeralzzi (filming, teaching of visual methods, workshops,( artistic and academic collaboration with the network “Death in contact-less societies”).
2023: 1) continuation of the research, writing up and publications, 2) secondment (dissemination and exploitation activities, building up new networks, teaching); 3) trainings and career development (including applications and various collaborations); 4) impact and public reach out (public talks, workshops, teaching, conference participation); 5) closing conference event for the RightsLab Action; 6) film Funeralzzi, training and career advancement through participation in film festivals and industry events, engagement through documentary film-making.
During the action I have took part in organizing 12 conferences and workshops, attended 10 formal training courses, presented my work in 19 conferences and workshops, participated with my work in 9 documentary film festivals and taught 34 seminars and workshops. 4 publications have been published up to date in and 5 are accepted for print (2024-25).
Filming Funeralzzi film has led to cooperation with a network of scholars working on the concept of “deathwork mediation”, within which framework I have produced talks, panel on ethics in death research, developed methodological training on film knowledge production, taught multiple classes on documentary film-making in academic field. It led to a special issue of Mortality Journal (2025) to which I will contribute as an editor and an author of a paper. This will not only allow me to achieve a great public impact and dissemination, but also has allowed me to obtain a job position of a film director and dissemination expert in a Volkswagen Foundation funded project CareOrg (2024-26), where I will be making a series of short documentary films using participatory research methods.
Expanding professional networks and cooperations:
Working with CMR (University of Warsaw) resulted in secondment opportunity (Dec 2023), common publication (Working paper series) and common policy brief (planned for 2024), academic advisor role to a research project MICEE, a number of lectures, talks and a FM Warsaw Uni Kampus radio talk show (estimated outreach - 500 people).
Launching of the network of CEE scholars on mediated and temp agency employment with my colleague Hannah Schling (UCL, London) brought together some 25 scholars from the CEE region (workshop in 2021) with follow up meetings at the ILPC conference (2022) (where I am also one of the organizers) and at the RightsLab closing event - a workshop on the role of housing in migration and work (2023). It also resulted in the mini podcast series: (co-hosted with H. Schling) “An eighth woman: the changing worlds of labour and migration, social reproduction, and capitalism in CEE.”
Networks of cooperation and solidarity around the war in Ukraine: 1)OSCE ODIHR network (developing policy recommendations for the Ukrainian government about inclusion of the Ukrainian diaspora) ; 2)De-bordering project around reception and labour market integration of Ukrainians with TPS (Newcastle) - to submit a special issue proposal in 2024; 3) cooperation with Legal Clinic in the CEU OLIve program for refugees.
Becoming a member of IMISCOE Standing Committee on Reflexivity in 2021 resulted in my participation in organizing 2 IMISCOE conferences (strings and panels); participation in monthly lectures, organization events and training by the Standing Committee.
Expanding professional networks and cooperations:
Working with CMR (University of Warsaw) resulted in secondment opportunity (Dec 2023), common publication (Working paper series) and common policy brief (planned for 2024), academic advisor role to a research project MICEE, a number of lectures, talks and a FM Warsaw Uni Kampus radio talk show (estimated outreach - 500 people).
Launching of the network of CEE scholars on mediated and temp agency employment with my colleague Hannah Schling (UCL, London) brought together some 25 scholars from the CEE region (workshop in 2021) with follow up meetings at the ILPC conference (2022) (where I am also one of the organizers) and at the RightsLab closing event - a workshop on the role of housing in migration and work (2023). It also resulted in the mini podcast series: (co-hosted with H. Schling) “An eighth woman: the changing worlds of labour and migration, social reproduction, and capitalism in CEE.”
Networks of cooperation and solidarity around the war in Ukraine: 1)OSCE ODIHR network (developing policy recommendations for the Ukrainian government about inclusion of the Ukrainian diaspora) ; 2)De-bordering project around reception and labour market integration of Ukrainians with TPS (Newcastle) - to submit a special issue proposal in 2024; 3) cooperation with Legal Clinic in the CEU OLIve program for refugees.
Becoming a member of IMISCOE Standing Committee on Reflexivity in 2021 resulted in my participation in organizing 2 IMISCOE conferences (strings and panels); participation in monthly lectures, organization events and training by the Standing Committee.