The social organization of the fish processing industry in Nova Scotia a community-based study

Abstract

The structure of the Nova Scotia secondary fishing industry is based on relatively small, rural, resource-dependent fishing communities and a casual and seasonal labour force. This workforce is characterized by a gender division of labour, low skill requirements, poor wages, little job security or promotion opportunities, and a heavy reliance on unemployment insurance benefits.

Equally crucial to the social organization of this industry is the fact that fish plant workers, as members of resource-dependent communities, rely upon sufficient resource supply; product demand, international markets, and fishery employment for their livelihoods. In this regard, the fish processing sector generates a number of occupational and industrial cleavages. On the one hand, the occupational structure differentiates workers by gender, income, and duration of employment. On the other hand, the industrial structure tends to bind workers together, to varying degrees, through a shared experience of domination.