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Labor Turnover Among Maquiladora Workers of Highland Guatemala: Resistance and Semiproletarianization in Global Capitalism

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 September 2022

Liliana R. Goldín
Liliana R. Goldín*
Affiliation:
New York University
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Abstract

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In-depth interviews and a three-wave longitudinal study of workers in international export-processing plants (maquiladoras, referred to here as maquilas) of the central highlands of Guatemala were conducted to explore the effects of labor turnover on individuals and households. The data suggest a framework in which labor conditions and sources of support at home are linked to turnover of youths working in the maquila. Turnover in the study is associated with decreased input into important household decisions and a lowered sense of adjustment and life satisfaction. Despite this, turnover is often volitional, representing a form of resistance and response on the part of workers to adverse working conditions in the factories. The study reveals the complex dynamics underlying both involuntary and voluntary turnover in the maquilas.

Resumen

Resumen

Por medio de entrevistas en profundidad y una encuesta longitudinal en tres rondas con trabajadores de las industrias internacionales procesadoras para exportación (maquilas) del altiplano central de Guatemala, se exploraron los efectos de la rotación laboral en individuos y hogares. Los datos sugieren un marco en el que las condiciones de trabajo y las fuentes de asistencia y sustento en el hogar están ligadas a la rotación de los jóvenes trabajadores. En el estudio, la rotación aparece asociada con una menor contribución por parte del trabajador a las decisiones importantes del hogar y una disminución en el sentimiento de ajuste personal y satisfacción de vida. A pesar de esto, la rotación es con frecuencia voluntaria y representa una forma de respuesta y resistencia por parte de los trabajadores a las adversas condiciones de trabajo en las fábricas. El estudio revela la compleja dinámica que subyace a la rotación voluntaria e involuntaria en las maquilas.

Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Research Review , Volume 46 , Issue 3 , 2011 , pp. 133 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by the Latin American Studies Association

Footnotes

This study was conducted with support of National Science Foundation Grant 0548481, 2006–2009. I thank Linda Asturias de Barrios and James Jaccard for comments on an earlier version of this article.

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