Features:

Main authors are:

i.)

Karl Marx (1840-1880s)

German Scholar studied at German University (19th Century- 18181883).

He moved to London in 1844 and lived with Federick Engels. Note UK
was going through Industrialisation process in the 1800-1900 & he studied
capitalist society.
He was first person to study & analysed Capitalist Economic System.
He looked at Capitalist Economic System in UK in 19 Century.
He saw during 1840 how workers were exploited in UK and the poor
working conditions people were working in- eg sweat shop factories in
garment industries, mining, steel, and construction industries/ child labour
(stated in UK).
He developed the idea of two classes in society- capitalist class (upper
class) (Bourgeoisie) and working class (upper class) (proletariat).
He discovered the concepts of the Mode of Production (type of
economy), Means of Production (factories/private property), and Social
Relations of Production (wider societal relationship between the workers
and the capitalists).
He spoke of workers who sell their Labour POWER (ie the energy to
do work) & managers buy labour power and pay wages. Once they sell it
mangers can get Maximum out of them- work intensification
(exploitation).
Concept of surplus value: Marx says capitalist production system the
following things happen:
(i) Capitalist have technology (factory, machine, etc).
(ii) They buy raw materials (supplies)
(iii) Employ workers and pay them wages
(iv) There is production- ie labour process workers create value (use
value and surplus value).
(v) Capitalist sell the product and the surplus value is the profit (money).

Marx discusses the Labor Process which shows how workers

turn raw materials into products e.g. Milk into cheese.

ii.)

Braverman (1973)

Book Labour & Monopoly Capitalism

Marxs idea was borrowed by Braverman and he applied it
to study production process factories in USA.
He criticized Taylors Scientific Management & developed
IR theory.
He used & developed Marxist concept of Labour process.
Discussed class struggle at the workplace between
capitalists and labour.

iii.)

Richard Hyman (1975)

Richard Hyman says workers resist work intensification.

He says workers & trade unions can change workplace and the
capitalist society.
He says conflicts a structural problem of capitalist society and not
something abnormal.

iv.)

Nichols & Beynon (1973, 1975)

They also argued that workers are not dumb and they resist work
intensification.
Trade unions can play a role in balancing power at workplace.
Class struggle of the workplace is transferred to class struggle in
society and political level in Parliaments.
They argue that conflict is inevitable in society & firms. It is natural
and Structural part of Capitalist society (free- market society). Class
conflict. This perspective accepts conflict as part of work place (unlike
Unitary theorists).

v.)

Buroway (1985)

Marxs idea was also borrowed by Buroway

He studied labour process in factories in USA.
He found workers were exploited in factories eg Steel
making factories, coal mines, copper mines, etc.
Work vs Effort- bargaining
Buroway says on one hand Managers want to workers to
put in maximum effort (production), but pay them less. On
the other hand workers want to put less effort (save their
energy).
Worker resistance- that is why there are problems at
workplace.
Hence, there is a continuous tussle between management
and workers (ie conflict).
Braverman did not discuss worker resistance.
He said that workers sometimes play a game with
management. He said workers help the managers to
exploit them via consenting (e.g. breaking the targets set
by the managers).

Recommendations/Solutions:

Change or overthrow of the capitalist economy and social system and

its replacement by a system in which workers own and control the
means of production.
Conflict can only be resolved by changing the free-market society
Tripartism and collective bargaining are seen as tools to control conflict
within the capitalist society and are not solutions.
Only through class consciousness and the overthrow of the free-market
society.
Trade unions and workers can change the ideals of the workplace and
be involved more in the workers issues and not only focus on bread
and butter issues (such as wages and job security).

Strengths:

Criticisms / Weaknesses:

Two versions:

(i.)

Labour Process Theory

(ii.)

Work-Effort Bargaining