We’re in this Together:Framing Contest over the Precariat in the Third Sector in Poland

Abstract

The article is a study of collective action frames created during the union organizing campaign of the precariat in Polish non-governmental organizations. NGOs are paradigm precarious working environments with a great share of atypical employment relations, voluntary work and blurred work-life boundaries. Trade union used the frame of the precariat to reach workers of such organizations but during framing contest NGO managers intercepted the frame. Despite their power advantage within organizations, managers’ working conditions were precarious, too. Dynamics of the case shows dangers of using extended frames, such as the precariat, in organizing precarious sectors. The very concept of the precariat obscures conflict and power inequalities within organizations.