Care work has become a significant; yet still largely undervalued component of global employment. It is situated at the meeting point of gender; migration; and precarity; despite having only partial recognition in labor law and industrial relations. This article argues that care work is a litmus test for the effectiveness of legal frameworks in securing social rights in a globalized economy. It takes a interdisciplinary approach; combining labor law analysis with sociological insight into global care chains; discrimination; and collective action. The article's arguments are advanced through three comparative studies (Poland and Germany; Philippines and Middle East and Romanian/Ukraine and Italy/Spain); each highlighting a different transnational corridor and offering contrasting legal/sociological dynamics. The Poland–Germany corridor demonstrates the ambiguities of European Union mobility; where Polish carers in Germany often oscillate between self-employment; posting regimes; and agency work with fragmented access to social rights. The Romania/Ukraine–Italy/Spain corridor illustrates the informalization of care in Southern Europe; where regularization campaigns and migrant associations signal both exclusion and emergent possibilities for representation. By combining these contexts; the article exposes the lack of structural equality between formal labor rights and their real potential in international care industries. It ends by requesting a reformation of the labor law and social insurance regimes- through the acceptance of the ILO Convention No. 189; with the aim to recognize the value of care as work that is essential; and guarantees the rights of those who perform it.
University of Rzeszow, Poland - ORCID: 0000-0003-4433-5884
University of Rzeszow, Poland - ORCID: 0000-0002-5370-7099
Chapter Title
Global Care Chains and the Legal/Social Rights of Migrant Workers: an Interdisciplinary Inquiry into Discrimination, Industrial Relations, and Transnational Welfare Regimes
Authors
Agata Ludera-Ruszel, Hubert Kotarski
Language
English
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1029-4.05
Peer Reviewed
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Book Title
CARE4CARE - We Care for Those Who Care - Vol. III
Book Subtitle
Building Dignified Care Work in Europe: Critical Reflections, Policy Proposals and Practical Tools
Editors
Maria Luisa Vallauri, William Chiaromonte
Peer Reviewed
Number of Pages
408
Publication Year
2026
Copyright Information
© 2026 Author(s)
Content License
Metadata License
Publisher Name
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1029-4
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1028-7
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1029-4
eISBN (epub)
979-12-215-1030-0
Series Title
Studi sul lavoro di cura - Studies on Care Work