Waves of Change

Over 90 per cent of the goods we use - from our smartphones to the fuel in our cars - are transported by ships. The cargo shipping industry is the most globalised industry in the world, yet we know very little about the context in which these ships operate or the ways in which seafaring labour is organised. Drawing on evidence from South Africa and the Philippines, Waves of Change provides an account of globalisation, seafaring labour markets and the state that allows us to understand how processes of globalisation unfold in this industry. The author shows that globalisation does not always mean a 'race to the bottom' for workers: labour solidarity and interventionist states shape globalisation as much as ship owners do. Scholars, policy makers, students and those with a general interest in globalisation and labour will find Waves of Change a revelatory account of an industry about which little is generally known.