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A Thesis Submitted for the Degree of PhD at the University of Warwick Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/98749 Copyright and reuse: This thesis is made available online and is protected by original copyright. Please scroll down to view the document itself. Please refer to the repository record for this item for information to help you to cite it. Our policy information is available from the repository home page. For more information, please contact the WRAP Team at: [email protected] warwick.ac.uk/lib-publications SHOPFLOOR TRADE UNIONISM AT HERBERT'S: A CASE STUDY IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMISE OF WORKPLACE ORGANISATION. KENNETH GRAINGER Doctor of Philosophy The University of Warwick Sociology Department March 1988 TABLE OF CONTENTS VOLUMB ONE Chapter One: Biography of a Research Process. Introduction; 11 Signposts; 15 Endnotes and References. 20 Chapter Two: New Technology at Herbert's. Introduction; 21 Braverman and New Technology at Herbert's, 23 Marxist assumptions about managerial strategies and the subordination of labour. Fieldwork observations, A monitoring role. Interventions in 'planning'. The CLASS that failed management; An Historical Perspective on New Technology at Herbert's, 42 "America wishes you luckl", The labour process and product rationalisation; Conclusions: A Redundant Analysis and the Riddle of the Stewards' Response; 55 Endnotes and References. 60 Chapter Three: Herbert's Early Years: From Heroic Phase To Consolidation. Introduction; 69 Heroic Beginnings, 70 'Self-made man or beneficiary of family ties?; Beyond the 'Heroic Phase' to Consolidation and Conservatism/ 79 The benefits of 'obsolete' forms of industrial organisation; Conclusion; 86 Endnotes and References. 88 Chapter Four: Workplace Politics at Herbert's Before the Emergence of the Shop Stewards' Organisation. Introduction; 93 The Exploitation of Youth Labour, 96 Young women at Herbert's, Young men at Herbert's; The Gang System at Herbert's in the Inter-Var Years; 119 Employer Paternalism at Herbert's; 133 Conclusions; 145 Endnotes and References. 147 Chapter Five: Herbert's at War. Introduction; 153 The Re-Emergence of a Stewards' Organisation, 154 Hard times: 1922-32, The Arcos contract: 1932-36, "Youth Makes History", Popular Front politics and Herbert's, TGWU gain a 'toe-hold' at Herbert's; Shifts in Shopfloor Politics during the Phoney War: 1939-41; 176 The Limits of Change during the "Heyday of the Communist Engineer", 184 Low pay at Herbert's, The challenge to the gang system: a tale of two stewards. Pieceworkers' base rates and the limits of change. Experimenting with individual piecework; Forms of subordination. No Stakhanovites at Edgwick - not exactly. The JPC 'campaign', 'Red days' at Herbert's?, Women at Herbert's; Surviving the Peace: 1944-49; Conclusions; Endnotes and References. VOLUME TWO Chapter Six: Decline and Change in a Post-War World. Introduction; A Management-Created Terrain, Herbert's product market, Transformations of corporatism at Herbert's; The Stewards' Response; Sectionalism, Hierarchy and 'Somnolence', The double marginalities of the foundries. The patternshop: "a little protected world”. Enclaves of semi-skilled labour, Racial segregation in the foundries. Workplace politics in the engineering shops Forms of segregation in the engineering shops, A marginal Sex, A marginal race. Changing roles of young workers. White semi-skilled workers: on the escalator. Skilled and semi-skilled engineering pieceworkers at Bdgwlck: common experiences; The Redundancy Crisis and Shifts in Shopfloor Politics A ‘palace revolution'. Crisis, reform and the emergence of a new shopfloor elite; Conclusions; 342 Endnotes and References. 345 Chapter Seven: Herbert's Re-Modelled, Management Reform and the Rush to Innovate. Introduction; 354 Reform Under the ’Old' Herbert Managers; 355 The Entry of the Professional Managers; 361 Conclusions; 382 Endnotes and References. 384 Chapter Eight: Productivity Bargaining and the Onset of the Corporate Crisis. Introduction; 391 'Road maps* to the End of the Gang System, 393 The origins of PPS: "the Fairfields’ project". How to share out 'savings* of £600,000; Work Study at Edgwick: the First Phase of PPS, 408 Early revisions of HPL's version of corporatism. Slow progress on other elements of the 'package'. Crisis, 'Fixing' the new pay structure; ETPS: the Troubled 'Transitional' Phase, 424 The new pay structure at Red Lane, Huddling on. Estimated times: a disgraceful pup, "A human problem", Mutual doubts about worker representatives. The impact of corporate crisis on the shopfloor. Computerisation: an apparent success for management; MTPS: the Final Phase of PPS, April 1970 to I December 1971, 433 Different goals, "A drastic exercise in survival" The aftermath. The demise of PPS, PPS R.I.P.?, A moral opposition; Conclusions; 460 Endnotes and References. 463 Chapter Mine: A Decade of Crises. Introduction; 469 Coming Out of Despair; 469 Hr. Benn's 'Experiment' in Industrial Democracy; 471 Catch-22: The Difficulties of Resistance in a 'Problem Company', 474 Resistance from an unexpected quarter. End of an 'empire', A trade union enquiry. Ritual and politics The 'sit-in'; New Herbert's: a Parody of theOld; 489 Conclusions; 491 Endnotes and References. 493 Chapter Ten: The Pinal Irony. Introduction; 497 The Final Irony 498 Corporatism: A Pragmatic Accomodation? 500 Conclusion; 510 Endnotes and References 511 Chapter Eleven: Workplace Politics at Bdgwick, a Review of Findings. Introduction; 512 A Management-Created Terrain; 513 The Reproduction of Sectionalism; 517 Dependence on Favourable Bxternal Circumstances; 521 The 'Labourist Fracture'; 522 Patterns of Organisation: Trends Towards Centralisation of Power?; 523 Corporatism: A Pragmatic Approach to the Limitations of Workplace Politics? 527 Conclusions; 530 Endnotes and References. 532 Append:x One: Notes on the CMTC Combine. Notes on Shopf'.oor Politics at Northey Road and Banner Lane; 534 The End of a Campaign; 539 Endnotes and References. 547 Notes on Methodology and a Selected Bibliography. Fieldwork; 548 Notes on Primary Sources; 549 Secondary Documentary Sources. 554 List of Tables Table 1: Apprentice Intake and 'Releases' at Herbert's, 1965-71. 296 Table 2: The Schedule for Herbert's Productivity Schese. 400 Table 3: The Schedule for Falrflelds' Productivity Scheae. 400 Table 4: The Scale of Bonus Payments for Bach Stage of PPS. 407 Table 5: The Hew Base Rates Agreed under PPS, October 1969. 423 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped In the Baking of this work. My greatest debt is to my academic supervisor, Tony Eiger, whose sustained commitment to the research made it possible Cor me to complete a project that stretched over many years. I am also grateful to the stewards, chargehands and managers whose infectious enthusiasm over the history of their former employer, Alfred Herbert Limited, shaped my work. Among them, I acknowledge a particular debt to Ron Doughty. His friendship and unselfish support proved invaluable during the fieldwork, while his good humour encouraged me to persist with some awkward questions. My thanks go, too, to former colleagues at Coventry Workshop for making the city my home. Over the years, this work has proved to be a demanding member of my family. For that reason my special thanks go to: my parents who instilled in me the confidence to begin the task; to Kamla and Richard for the many sacrifices they made while it matured; and, finally, to Nina whose arrival hastened its conclusion. Shopflooi Trade Unionism At Herbert's: A Case 8tudy In The Development and Demise Of Workplace Organisation. Through a case study, this thesis explores the limitations of workplace unionism among shopfloor engineering workers. This subject is examined through an historical case study of one amchine tool factory, Herbert's Bdgwick plant, and an account of the research process itself. The historical approach s h o w how far the limitations of workplace unionism at Bdgwick resulted from the resilience of a distinctive accomodation between skilled workers and aunagers. It also reports several findings that parallel those made in other labour studies. However, greater emphasis is placed on (1) the stewards' active reproduction of sectionalism - detailing, particularly, the Impact on women and Asian workers - and (2) the corporatist politics that arose out of their pragmatism. This study also challenges some contemporary theories about both the politics of new technology and the internal centralisation of workplace organisations. The narrative of the research process links together the subject 4f the case study with the experience of the Coventry Machine Tool Committee's campaign for iaq>ort controls. It does this both chronologically, by showing how my research came to focus on Bdgwick, and thematically by highlighting the common limitations in workplace unionism which led to the CMTC's demise and the dispirited opposition to massive redundancies at Herbert's. The first two chapters develop the setting and identify key issues by providing a biography of the research process. Chapters 3 to 9 provide the main narrative and analysis by tracing the historical development of industrial relations at Herbert's and detailing key events leading up to Bdgwick's closure in 1983. Chapter 10 links the case study with the combine and considers the 'pragmatic' character of the stewards' politics. Chapter 11 draws the thesis to a close by reviewing the main findings of the case study and considering their wider relevance to the study

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