Conclusion

Abstract

The increasing global dominance of neo-liberalism as a project for capital’s control of politics, economy and society has been graphically illustrated in the sex industry by state-enabled ability of capital to choose to impose upon workers the practice of de jure self-employment, while simultaneously maintaining de facto control over workers as employees. Throughout the wider economy, neo-liberalism has rolled back the gains of labour unionism in achieving regularized employment. It can then be ventured sex-worker unionization projects have emerged in a particularly inauspicious period. Surveying the unionization projects, there have been three approaches to formation. While the most obvious are to join an existing union or set up a new one, the most common has been a hybrid where existing non-union collective-interest organizations have sought sponsorship and support with existing unions. The advantage of this has been to have a better chance of exerting sizeable influence on the nature of the consequent unionization while, at the same time and compared with establishing a new union, lowering the costs of unionization and gaining access to the union resources. Yet the outcomes of unionization of three approaches do not discernibly demonstrate one has been superior to another, reflecting the existence of stronger (negative) forces that influence unionization processes and outcomes.