Company strategies and the Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz

During the coronavirus pandemic, outbreaks of the infection in German meat plants created a great public stir. The scandal threw conflicts over types of work, working conditions, and questions of occupational safety into high relief. The occupational safety act (Arbeitsschutzkontrollgesetz, ASKG) that went into effect in 2021 includes a collection of measures focused on new regulations for temporary work and independent contractor agreements. However, the way that corporations implement the act and the consequences for, for example, working relationships, working conditions, and work organization remain to be studied.

Therefore, this subproject will take a look at corporate strategies in different operational contexts for dealing with the work-related regulations. Corporate action will be viewed as a response to the new legal framework. For the research, it will be important to look at actors within the different hierarchies of the corporation (e.g., at leadership and management levels) and their decisions and decision-making processes with regard to implementing and realizing the ASKG. We will also look at the differences between decisions in specific situations and their impact. Overall, we want to identify relevant positions and strategies that vitally impact work and production relations as well as working conditions. This will also allow us to better understand (new) processes of fragmentation in the organization of labor and personnel.