Between control and repression : the plight of the Syrian labour force

Abstract

The most important protagonists in the 2011 Syrian uprising were economically marginalised rural workers, urban employees and self-employed workers. The war and the economic crisis to which it gave rise negatively affected the working and living conditions of these large sectors of society causing an important number of impacted individuals to join various armed opposition groups. This article seeks to analyse the plight of the labour force and the tools used by the Syrian regime to control it in order to prevent any collective action on the part of workers.