Global forces and national Institutions: call centre work in Colombia

Anita Weiss, null

doi:10.13169/workorgalaboglob.1.2.0131

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Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Volume 1, Issue 2

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Global forces and national Institutions: call centre work in Colombia

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Author(s): Anita Weiss

Publication date (Print): Summer 2007

Journal: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

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Abstract

The aim of this article is to contribute to the discussion about the relationship between global forces and national institutions, from a Latin American perspective. In addition to presenting some data about the diffusion of information and communications technologies in Latin America, we try to establish the relationship between some characteristics of Colombian society and the particular nature of the working conditions and employment relationships in call centres in this country, drawing on some exploratory case studies of call centres carried out in 2004, that formed part of a larger ongoing research project. It concludes that several features that are specific to the Colombian context appear to play a major role in shaping working conditions in Colombian call centres, including the particular characteristics of the labour market, the low regulatory power of the State, low compliance with labour laws, the persistence of the armed conflict that weakens all social and labour movements and the existence of a ‘culture of distrust’. This suggests that the national institutional environment exerts an important role in shaping local working conditions, even when powerful global forces are at play.

Content

Author and article information

Journal

Journal ID (doi): 10.13169

Journal ID (publisher-id): workorgalaboglob

Title: Work Organisation, Labour and Globalisation

Publisher: Pluto Journals

ISSN (Print): 1745641X

ISSN (Electronic): 17456428

Publication date (Print): Summer 2007

Volume: 1

Issue: 2

Pages: 131-154

Article

Publisher ID: workorgalaboglob.1.2.0131

DOI: 10.13169/workorgalaboglob.1.2.0131

SO-VID: 373e6ebd-5bd1-4066-82c1-ffbd24c89e07

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All content is freely available without charge to users or their institutions. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission of the publisher or the author. Articles published in the journal are distributed under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

History

ScienceOpen disciplines: Sociology,Labor law,Political science,Labor & Demographic economics,Political economics

References

World Bank (2005) Informe distribución del ingreso en Colombia . Retrieved on October 15, 2006 from http://www.minhacienda.gov.co
Batt, R et al.. (2000) Telecommunications 2000, Strategy, HR Practices and Performance , Ithaca NY: Cornell-Rutgers Telecommunications Project
Bell, D. (1973) The coming of Post-Industrial Society , (reprinted with new foreword), New York: Basic Books
Bell, D. (1976) The coming of the Post-Industrial Society. A venture in Social Forecasting . New York: Basic Books
Berg, J.E., Ch. & P. Auer (2006) ‘Cambios en el empleo en México y América Latina’, Revista Trabajo , México: Centro de Análisis del Trabajo, December
Bittner, S., M. Schietinger & C. Weinkopf (2002) Zwischen Kosteneffizienz und Servicequelitaet: Personalmanagement in Call centren und im Handel , Gelsenkirchen, Institut Arbeit und Technik. Germany: Rainer Hampp Verlag München
Bocherini et al. (2003) Nuevas Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación. Los límites en la economía del conocimiento . Buenos Aires: Miño y Dávila
Bonilla, R. (1998) La eolítica internacional en eolítica industrial , Bogota: Universidad Nacional-CID y Ministerio de Desarrollo
Borello, J., A. Erbes, V. Robert, S. Roiter, & G. Yogel (2004) ‘Technological competencies of Information Technology Workers. Beyond demand and Supply restrictions: the Argentinean Case’ presented at the DRUID Summer Conference 2004 on Industrial Dynamics, Innovation and Development, Elsinore, Denmark, June 14–16
Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá (2004) Observatorio del mercado de Trabajo no.11, September.
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Castel, R. (1997) La metamorfosis de la cuestión social , Buenos Aires: Paidos
Castells, M. (1998a) The rise of the Network Society , London: Blackwell
Castells, M. (1998b) End of Millennium , London: Blackwell
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Di Martino, V (2004) Telework in Latin America and the Caribbean , Geneva: International Development Research Centre Canada. Retrieved on April 17, 2007 from http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/11005992271telework_final_feb1.no_conf.pdf
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Flecker, J. & S. Kirschenhofer, S. (2002) Jobs on the move: European companies relocating eWork , IES Report 386, Brighton: Institute for Employment Studies
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Interamerican Development Bank, (2000) Annual Report 2000 . Retrieved, May 13, 2004 from http:/www.iadb.org
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Rostow, W.W. (1990) The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto , 3rd Edition, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press
Solivetti, L. & M. May (2005) ‘W.W. Rostow and His Contribution to Development Studies: A Note’, in Journal of Development Studies , Vol. 41 Issue 4:719–724
UNCTAD (2004) The World Economy: Performance and Prospects , Geneva: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development.
United Nations (2004) PNUD Report , New York: United Nations.
UNCTAD (1998) Annual Report , Geneva: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development
Weber, M. (1964) Economìa y Sociedad’, México City: FCE.
Weiss, A. (1998) ‘El proceso de individualización de los obreros industriales en Colombia’ in H. Perez (ed) Norbert Elias, un sociólogo contemporáneo , Bogotá: Fondo de Ediciones Sociológicas
Weiss, A. (ed) (1997) Modernización industrial: Empresas y Trabajadores , Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departmento Sociología,

Comments

Comment on this article

[1] World Bank (2005) Informe distribución del ingreso en Colombia . Retrieved on October 15, 2006 from http://www.minhacienda.gov.co

[2] Batt, R et al.. (2000) Telecommunications 2000, Strategy, HR Practices and Performance , Ithaca NY: Cornell-Rutgers Telecommunications Project

[3] Bell, D. (1973) The coming of Post-Industrial Society , (reprinted with new foreword), New York: Basic Books

[4] Bell, D. (1976) The coming of the Post-Industrial Society. A venture in Social Forecasting . New York: Basic Books

[5] Berg, J.E., Ch. & P. Auer (2006) ‘Cambios en el empleo en México y América Latina’, Revista Trabajo , México: Centro de Análisis del Trabajo, December

[6] Bittner, S., M. Schietinger & C. Weinkopf (2002) Zwischen Kosteneffizienz und Servicequelitaet: Personalmanagement in Call centren und im Handel , Gelsenkirchen, Institut Arbeit und Technik. Germany: Rainer Hampp Verlag München

[7] Bocherini et al. (2003) Nuevas Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación. Los límites en la economía del conocimiento . Buenos Aires: Miño y Dávila

[8] Bonilla, R. (1998) La eolítica internacional en eolítica industrial , Bogota: Universidad Nacional-CID y Ministerio de Desarrollo

[9] Borello, J., A. Erbes, V. Robert, S. Roiter, & G. Yogel (2004) ‘Technological competencies of Information Technology Workers. Beyond demand and Supply restrictions: the Argentinean Case’ presented at the DRUID Summer Conference 2004 on Industrial Dynamics, Innovation and Development, Elsinore, Denmark, June 14–16

[10] Cámara de Comercio de Bogotá (2004) Observatorio del mercado de Trabajo no.11, September.

[11] Carlson, B.A. (2002) Job losses, Multinationals and Globalization: the anatomy of disempowerment , Santiago de Chile: ECLAC

[12] Carretón, M.A. (2007) ‘La oportunidad de lograr un avance institucional y social’, Página12 , Argentina, March 23. Retrieved on March 26, 2007 from http://www.pagina12.com.ar

[13] Castel, R. (1997) La metamorfosis de la cuestión social , Buenos Aires: Paidos

[14] Castells, M. (1998a) The rise of the Network Society , London: Blackwell

[15] Castells, M. (1998b) End of Millennium , London: Blackwell

[16] Colombia Censo socioeconómico (2003) Bogotá: Departamento Nacional de Estadística, DANE

[17] Crovi D. D. (2004) Sociedad de la información y el conocimiento: Entre lo falaz y lo posible . Buenos Aires: La Crujìa.

[18] DANE, Departamento Nacional de Estadística (2006) Datos del Censo 2005 . Retrieved 14 May, 2004 from www.dane.gov.co

[19] Díaz Granados, Jorge (2004) Web Page of the 'Instituto Nacional de Estadística Geografía e Informática, INEGI. Mexico. Retrieved, July 14, 2004 from www.inegi.gov.mx

[20] Di Martino, V (2004) Telework in Latin America and the Caribbean , Geneva: International Development Research Centre Canada. Retrieved on April 17, 2007 from http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/11005992271telework_final_feb1.no_conf.pdf

[21] ECLAC (2003) América Latina y el Caribe en la Transición hacia una sociedad del conocimiento. Una agenda de políticas públicas June, 2003. Retrieved on November 10, 2006 from http://www.eclac.cl

[22] ECLAC (2004a) Desarrollo Productivo en Economías Abiertas , San Juan-Puerto Rico, June-July:41.

[23] ECLAC, (2004b) Economic Report United Nations, Santiago de Chile: ECLAC.

[24] Schroeder, M. (2003) El Tiempo , Colombia, May 1

[25] Elias, N. (1995) Fundamental Sociology , Barcelona: Gedisa

[26] Farné, Stefano et al. (2006) El mercado laboral y la seguridad social en Colombia entre finales del siglo XX y principios del siglo XXI , Bogotá: U. Externado

[27] Flecker, J. & S. Kirschenhofer, S. (2002) Jobs on the move: European companies relocating eWork , IES Report 386, Brighton: Institute for Employment Studies

[28] Toomingas, A. (2005) ‘Working conditions and health in call centres’, in Gustafsson R. and Lundberg, I. (ed), Worklife and health 2004 , Stockholm: National Institute for Working Life and Swedish Work Environment Authority

[29] Godio, J. (2005) El paradigma de la sociedad de trabajo , Argentina: Instituto del Mundo del trabajo 28.5.2005

[30] Guimaraes Larangeira, S. (2003) The new reality of telecommunications in Brazil post-privatization: Cellular segments and call centres , Porto Alegre, Brasil: UFRGS, Presented at the XXIV Congress of the Latin American Sociological Association, Arequipa, Peru

[31] Hall, P & D. Soskice (2001) Varieties of capitalism, the institutional foundation of comparative advantage , Oxford: Oxford University Press

[32] Hualde, A. & R. Gomis (2004) La Construcción de un Cluster de Software en la frontera Noreste de México , Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana

[33] Huws, U. (2003) When Work Takes Flight: Research Results from the EMERGENCE project IES Report 397, Brighton: Institute for Employment Studies

[34] Huws, U. S. Dahlmann & A. Dhudwar (2007) The transformation of work in a global knowledge economy: towards a conceptual framework: conference report , Leuven: University of Leuven Press. Available online on: http://www.worksproject.be/Gen_project_results.htm

[35] Interamerican Development Bank, (2000) Annual Report 2000 . Retrieved, May 13, 2004 from http:/www.iadb.org

[36] ILO (2005) Generating Decent Work in Open Economies: The Strategy of Growth with Quality Employment , Geneva: International Labour Organization,.

[37] ITU (2003) World Telecommunications Database , Geneva: International Telecommunications Union.

[38] Jaguaribe, H. (2001) Latin America and the creation of a multipolar order . Retrieved on August 24, 2006 from http://www.sela.org

[39] López, A. (2003) ‘El sector de Software y Servicios Informáticos en la Argentina’, in F. Boscherini, M. Novick & G. Yoguel (eds), Nuevas Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación. Los límites en la economía del conocimiento , Buenos Aires: Miño y Dávila

[40] Marquez, G. (1999) ‘Empleo en América Latina: Problemas y Perspectivas. Seminar presentation at Empleo y políticas laborales, Bogotá: Banco de la República, 9 July

[41] OEA (2004) Colciencias Encuentro sobre Competitividad de las TICs en América Latina , Bogotá: June 30.

[42] Rios, N. (2005) La Estructura Sindical Colombiana , ENS, December 16. Retrieved on 25 March 2006 from http://www.ens.org.co

[43] Rostow, W.W. (1990) The Stages of Economic Growth: A Non-Communist Manifesto , 3rd Edition, Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press

[44] Solivetti, L. & M. May (2005) ‘W.W. Rostow and His Contribution to Development Studies: A Note’, in Journal of Development Studies , Vol. 41 Issue 4:719–724

[45] UNCTAD (2004) The World Economy: Performance and Prospects , Geneva: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development.

[46] United Nations (2004) PNUD Report , New York: United Nations.

[47] UNCTAD (1998) Annual Report , Geneva: United Nations Conference of Trade and Development

[48] Weber, M. (1964) Economìa y Sociedad’, México City: FCE.

[49] Weiss, A. (1998) ‘El proceso de individualización de los obreros industriales en Colombia’ in H. Perez (ed) Norbert Elias, un sociólogo contemporáneo , Bogotá: Fondo de Ediciones Sociológicas

[50] Weiss, A. (ed) (1997) Modernización industrial: Empresas y Trabajadores , Bogotá: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Departmento Sociología,