The Fight Against Platform Capitalism: An Inquiry into the Global Struggles of the Gig Economy

— —

Jamie Woodcock

The Fight Against Platform Capitalism

An Inquiry into the Global Struggles of the Gig Economy

Jamie Woodcock

$47.95 $40.46

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

University of Westminster Press
02 March 2021

Central government policies; Political activism; Industrial relations & safety; Trade unions; Ethical & social aspects of computing

Series: Critical, Digital and Social Media Studies

So far, platform work has been an important laboratory for capital. Management techniques, like the use of algorithms, are being tested with a view to exporting across the global economy and it is argued that automation is undermining workers' agency. Although the contractual trick of self-employment has allowed platforms to grow quickly and keep their costs down, yet it has also been the case also that workers have also found they can strike without following the existing regulations.

This book develops a critique of platforms and platform capitalism from the perspective of workers and contributes to the ongoing debates about the future of work and worker organising. It presents an alternative portrait returning to a focus on workers' experience, focusing on solidarity, drawing out a global picture of new forms of agency. In particular, the book focuses on three dynamics that are driving struggles in the platform economy: the increasing connections between workers who are no longer isolated; the lack of communication and negotiation from platforms, leading to escalating worker action around shared issues; and the internationalisation of platforms, which has laid the basis for new transnational solidarity.

Focusing on transport and courier workers, online workers and freelancers, author Jamie Woodcock concludes by considering how workers build power in different situations. Rather than undermining worker agency, platforms have instead provided the technical basis for the emergence of new global struggles against capitalism

By: Jamie Woodcock
Imprint: University of Westminster Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 7mm
Weight: 177g
ISBN: 9781912656943
ISBN 10: 1912656949
Series: Critical, Digital and Social Media Studies
Pages: 126
Publication Date: 02 March 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Jamie Woodcock is a senior lecturer at the Open University and a researcher based in London. He is the author of The Gig Economy (2019), Marx at the Arcade (2019) and Working the Phones (2017), also serving on the editorial boards of Notes from Below and Historical Materialism.