Dynamiken zwischen Citizenship und Arbeitsverhältnissen von Geflüchteten mit unsicherem Aufenthaltsstatus. Eine Untersuchung in gastronomischen Betrieben der Schweiz

Abstract

The article discusses to what extent the arrangement of migration policy, social policy and access to the labor market of Switzerland generates pronounced insecurities in the living and working reality of refugees. We analyze this by way of example of the situation of refugees with a precarious residence permit status working in the hotel and catering industry. We bring forward the argument that this group of migrants is confronted with the exclusion of rights because of the Swiss asylum policies. At the same time, the refugees face specific processes of inclusion and exclusion within the labor market because of their residence status. On account of this, we bring working conditions of refugees into the center of the analysis of citizenship policies as a constitutive element. Moreover, we analyze intra-company negotiations of citizenship as well as the according practices of refugees. The analysis of our research questions is based on a three-step data collection procedure. The combination of different methodological approaches - problem-centered interviews, participatory observation within the companies, and informal interviews - allows for an in-depth analysis of the relationship between citizenship policies and the working conditions of refugees with a precarious residence permit status. We show that refugee workers are confronted with specific forms of disciplinary actions because of a lack of rights and accompanied intra-company citizenship policies. The workers accept the disciplinary actions and working conditions in order to acquire permanent residence in Switzerland in their struggle for citizenship rights.