Precarious working conditions for migrant workers in Serbia: A content analysis of online articles from daily newspaper Danas about the Linglong factory

This study aims to analyse the precarious working conditions experienced by migrant (foreign) workers in Serbia at the Linglong tire factory in Zrenjanin. It seeks to elucidate the nature of these conditions, particularly for labourers from Vietnam and India, in the context of foreign direct investment and the already spotted violations of regulations, abuse of public authority and blatant disregard for human rights at the Linglong factory. Due to limitations in directly collecting data from the foreign workforce, a content analysis method was utilized to examine 156 articles published on the website of the daily newspaper Danas from January 2021 to October 2024. This period coincided with heightened media coverage of the challenges faced by migrant workers during the construction and inauguration of the factory. The categories of analysis are themes and concepts related to precariousness, including economic dimension, organisational, social, political, and living conditions, but also interpersonal power imbalances and migrant vulnerability. The findings reveal that precariousness among migrant workers is not confined to poor working conditions but is deeply embedded in a broader institutional and political context. The articles published on the website of the daily newspaper Danas predominantly depict negative portrayals of working and living conditions, highlighting issues such as passport confiscation, inadequate living conditions, lack of labour rights, and systemic neglect by political actors. The analysis indicates that migrant vulnerability exacerbates these precarious conditions, facilitating severe forms of exploitation.