Labor process control and consent construction: worker perception in the white goods industry

Author(s)

Juliana Vieira Araujo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas
• Defense date: 2009-12-22

Examining board members

Angela Maria Carneiro Araújo; Leda Maria Caira Gitahy; Andréia Galvão

• Advisor: Angela Maria Carneiro Araújo

Abstract

This research's objective was to contribute to the understanding of processes of labor control and consent construction with capitalist industrial work relations in a context of deep changes, the so called process of "productive restructuring". Given the heterogeneity of forms assumed in the processes of restructuring, this essay analyses, in a comparative basis, three case studies in an industrial sector still understudied: the white goods industry. The methodological procedures to the realization of this study included bibliographical research, qualitative interviews with directors and senior management and surveys with managers and workers in the three factories. Thus, I tried to: 1) situate the forms of work control and consent construction into this context; 2) show, in each of the plants, management strategies introduced in terms of production and work reorganization; and 3) analyze worker's perceptions on their work and relations in production as means to understand the effects of control and consent construction mechanisms in the shop floor. The analyses indicated that significant changes occurred in the forms of use and control of labor compared to its traditional forms in Brazil up to the late 1970's. However, those changes were limited either by unions' capacity to prevent the advance of some of the negative aspects to work, either by the companies' actions in limiting the possibilities of positive aspects to their productive and quality goals, either by the internal characteristics of each factory. (AU)