SOAS Research Online

Abstract

This study examines London’s migrant cleaners’ experiences of precarity and how they navigate those experiences. In the context of a neoliberal, anti-migrant climate in the UK, migrant workers have experienced intensified vulnerability whilst at the same time engaging in various forms of resistance. Existing studies on migrant cleaners are often focused on their working conditions and job insecurity, the gender aspect of those experiences, and their recent unionisation. Little regard has been paid to the reasons behind their decision to migrate, their initial experiences seeking access to London’s labour market, their living conditions and how their workplace experiences impact other, more intimate spheres of life. Similarly, whilst existing studies have analysed cleaners’ experiences of precarity and resistance at the collective level, individual cleaners’ personal understanding of those experiences has received little scholarly attention. This study builds on existing research by exploring cleaners’ personal experiences of and responses to precarity, drawing on a combination of participant observation methods and semi-structured interviews with cleaners and other key actors. This thesis argues that in order to gain a deep understanding of migrant cleaners’ lives, it is important to adopt a holistic understanding of precarity, that encompasses experiences beyond the workplace. The research illuminates the complex and interrelated nature of precarity, revealing the connections between participants’ migration history, their experiences at the workplace, at home, and their general well-being. In exploring and evaluating migrant cleaners’ resistance practices, this thesis engages with existing debates on migrant workers’ organising and contributes to our understanding of the successes and limitations of recent collective mobilisation initiatives. Seeking to draw lessons from those organising experiences, it argues that successful campaigns have strategically combined different forms of resistance and puts forward worker empowerment and politicisation as key principles for organising.