New Technology and the Process of Labour Regulation

Abstract

How has the introduction of new technology altered relations between workers and management? How have trade unions and management adapted to changes in job content and the broader structure of control? This book examines the impact of new technology within the workplace and makes contributions to the analysis of work experience, the labour process debate, and the study of management strategy and trade union organization. After reviewing the existing literature, the authors discuss the findings of four case-studies undertaken in brewing, chemicals, small-batch engineering, and insurance. They establish the pattern of work organization under the old and new technologies, highlight the differences and similarities, and show how the new pattern came about, looking in detail at management aims, trade union reactions, and the process of negotiation and accommodation. Finally, the way in which the precise impact of new technology is shaped by both management strategy and trade union activity is discussed, and the wider structure of control is analysed. The conclusions of the four studies, together with data from a survey of over a thousand shop stewards, suggest a change of direction for future research and discussion in these areas. As well as dealing with practical issues, the book also tackles a variety of contemporary scholarly debates and provides a systematic picture of work experience and control, all of which make it of special interest to students of industrial relations and industrial sociology, as well as to managers, trade unionists, and those concerned with new technology.

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