Internet Access for Seafarer Welfare or Managerial Control? The Experience of Chinese Seafarers

ORCID

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of internet access on ships on the lives of seafarers. Although the intention behind providing internet access for seafarers is to enrich life at sea and improve welfare, the findings show that, in practice, managers exploit seafarers' internet access as a means to further their own interests, encroaching upon seafarers' rest time in order to get more work done. The ability of management to appropriate internet access to extract more work from seafarers is underpinned by the structural weakness of seafarers.

Publication Date

2026-07-07

Publication Title

Industrial Relations Journal

Volume

57

Issue

4

ISSN

0019-8692

Acceptance Date

2026-03-20

Deposit Date

2026-03-28

Embargo Period

2028-03-28

Keywords

internet access, labour process theory, labour regimes, managerial control, social reproduction, work intensification

First Page

287

Last Page

296

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This item is under embargo until 28 March 2028

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