Labour control: managerial strategies in the Namibian mining sector 1970-1985
This thesis seeks to establish and explain the nature of managerial strategies of labour control adopted in a major Namibian mine between 1970 and 1985, a period of significant political, economic and social change. The study makes two particular contributions; firstly to labour process theory; and secondly, to the development of a Namibian historiography which, as a result of colonial control, is just beginning to emerge. The theoretical direction of the study is informed by contemporary discussion within the labour process debate, a major aspect of which concerns managerial strategies of labour control. Theoretical development in this area has been based almost exclusively on research generated within developed, western nations. The detailed case study material presented in this study facilitates the assessment of the theory outside this context. Whilst generally supporting the contemporary position of the theory, the study concludes that some modifications are required. Most notably, the influence of the state on managerial strategies of labour control has been underestimated in previous studies. The research is based on interpretative empirical work undertaken in Namibia between 1983 and 1985.
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