Markets,Industrial Processes and Class Struggle: The Evolution of the Labor Process in the U.K. Engineering Industry

This paper employs H.Braverman's theoretical framework to ana lyze the development of the labor process in the industrial equipment, or "engin eering" industry in the U.K. Though Braverman's distinction between labor and labor-power clearly provides many essential insights, it is nevertheless funda mentally defective inasmuch as it ignores what are seen to be important aspects in the historical evolution in the industry. Most centrally, Braverman's analysis oversimplifies the complex nature of the class struggle, specifically the extent and effectiveness of workers' and employers' organizations and divisions within them. Secondly, insufficient attention is paid to the constraint imposed by the structure and conditions of the market. In the concrete history discussed here, both the nature and intensity of the class struggle as well as competition in the product market are seen to be fundamental determinants of the development of the labor process.