Labor, technology and innovation in continuous process industries: transformations in the Brazilian market pulp

Abstract

The article aims to analyze the effects of globalization and productive restructuring to the organization of production, workers and trade unions of the Brazilian pulp and paper. This is an industry internationalized, whose trade relations is made between countries. The methodological procedures included: literature research, field research, documents research, analysis of statistics on the labor market, visits to companies and unions, and interviews. The central argument is that the changes associated with globalization have a major bounce inside the factories, changing the balance of power between the various actors involved in the production. Worker participation is an important asset for the companies surveyed. The restructuring that occurs in this industry (from the second half of the 90s) is ‘systemic’, crosses the boundaries of firms, reverberating throughout the production chain:  restructuring of supply chains internationally, redefinition of managerial strategies of companies, changes in relationships with local communities, changes in relationships with firms that comprise the supply chain of products and services and the reformulation of trade union strategies. Management decisions ‘techniques’ that hide a dimension ‘policy’ changed the power relations between chiefs, engineers and workers of the factory floor. Technological advances and changes in the plan of work organization and human resource policies are understood here as integrated measures that complement each other to influence participation and productivity growth in a context marked by increasing competitiveness and competition.