Changes in work and production organisation in the automotive industry value chain: an evaluation of the responses by labour in South Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT \nThis research report examines the changing nature of the organisation of work and \nproduction methods in the South African automotive industry through an examination of \nthe global production network of a leading automotive company, BMW. It draws on \nMarxist theory of the transformation of the labour process and extends this theory to \ninclude the contemporary restructuring of the automotive industry through the \nintroduction of global production networks. It is argued that, while this logistical \nrevolution has increased productivity, it has also opened up new sources of bargaining \nleverage for workers through the introduction of new production concepts such as Just In \nTime (JIT) and Just In Sequence (JIS). Through an analysis of the supply chain of BMW \nin South Africa and Germany the study demonstrates the contradictory nature of \ncontemporary restructuring in the global automotive industry. The method used in the \nstudy involved in-depth interviews with key actors in the industry, a field research trip to \nthe BMW Regensburg assembly plant in Germany, extensive consultation of union \ndocumentation and extensive participant observation in the process of restructuring in my \ncapacity as head of Organising, Campaigns and Collective Bargaining (OCCB) in the \nNational Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).

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