Chapter 4: Labor relations and issues in the poultry sector in Mexico

In the post-World War II years through to the 1970s, a number of studies in rural sociology focused on the theme of labor relations (Bonanno & Cavalcanti, introduction in this volume). In the following decades, however, much less attention was paid to the conditions and position of labor in agriculture and food. Additionally, changes at the global level altered the assumptions and the institutions upon which labor/capital relations were based. This new situation forced a reconceptualization of the position of labor in advanced capitalism as discussions about labor flexibility, the changing role of the State, the weakness of unions, and the growth of contract work began to define current debates. Given this scenario, this chapter illustrates the condition of the poultry sector in Mexico with particular emphasis on labor relations and labor issues. It is based on a long-standing qualitative and quantitative investigation of the evolution of the poultry sector that dwells on the sociological tradition of research on agri-food commodities. Simultaneously, this chapter aims to address some of the limits that have emerged within this debate. In effect, the significant growth experienced by the poultry sector has been accompanied by the creation of regional monopolies, asymmetrical power relations, concentrated markets, community degradation, and the establishment of production-based contracts that have been interpreted in differing ways (Aboites, Bonanno, Constance, Erlandson, & Martínez, 2007; Breimyer, 1965; Constance, 2001, 2008; Constance & Tuinstra, 2005; Constance, Bonanno, Cates, Argo, & Harris, 2003; Davis, 1980; Griffith, 1995; Heffernan, 1984, 2000; Human Rights Watch, 2005; Striffler, 2005).